The Lost Chance
by Jethro'sGirl
Summary: For NCIS Agent Samantha Martin, it is a day of work like any other. She is not prepared for what comes next. Martin is the fifth member of our favorite team of Special Agents. Along with her partners, she must rid the world of evil, all the while navigating matters of the heart. I'm giving this story a rating of M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own NCIS. I do however, own Samantha Martin and Jeremy Johnson. **

Here is a brief introduction to my two OCs. All of the cast will be present, but the story will mainly focus on the lives of Agent Martin and Jeremy Johnson. This is my first fan fiction story. I would love to know what you think. Constructive criticism is more than ok, to help me grow as a writer. Enjoy!

Agent Samantha Martin has been with NCIS for almost four years. She graduated at the age of 22 from St. Louis University with a Bachelors of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. She then went through the academy, and served 6 months as a D.C. Metro Cop when she came across a case involving NCIS. Gibbs offered her a job, and the rest, as they say is history. Martin just had a birthday, and is now 26 years old.

Jeremy Johnson was brought in by the CIA when he was 18 years old (right out of high school). He worked intel and undercover for them for 8 years. At 26 he became a trainer at Quantico for the police department. He was 28 when he met Martin for the first time. Martin and Johnson flirted and had an intimate relationship, but decided it wasn't right for a trainer and cadet. Martin finished the academy and left. They have had no contact since. Johnson is now 32 years old.

* * *

**The Lost Chance**

DiNozzo and Martin are in the gym sparing, while McGee and Bishop are working out. It's the end of the day, and they are waiting on both information on their current case, and their consultants to arrive.

As the team is working out, Abby brings Former CIA Agent Jeremy Johnson and current CIA Agent Bryan Stevens to the gym to introduce everyone.

As they walk in, Samantha looks up to see Jeremy Johnson. His eyes stare her down. He had no idea she would be here. Last he heard, she was one of the fastest rising cops within the D.C. Police Department.

She is distracted and goes down with a little help from DiNozzo. He jokes around with her about not loosing focus. She gets back up to "take him down." Once DiNozzo is down, Martin lightly pats his cheek and says, "What was that about being distracted?" She can't help but laugh at the look on his face. She holds out her hand, and offers to help him up.

Gibbs calls all of his agents over to where Abby and the men are standing. Jeremy can't help but watch Samantha as they are all introduced.

As the others say their hellos and walk away, Samantha asks Jeremy what he's doing there. "I'm here to help with the investigation." He says, as if it were obvious.

Abby notices the tension and can't help but get excited.

After the agents quickly shower, everyone heads upstairs to a conference room.

The two teams share the information they have collected on the three male suspects, and everyone is brought up to speed. It is decided, that the two teams will utilize the conference room at NCIS for the duration of this case.

While all this is going on, Jeremy keeps watching Samantha. However, she is doing her best to ignore him. Finally, Gibbs decides they've had enough for tonight. Everyone is sent home, and told to be back at 0800 tomorrow.

Samantha immediately leaves for her desk. Abby can't help but follow, all the while asking questions. Samantha throws her personal effects into a bag and sighs. She's not ready to answer her friends relentless questions. "He was my trainer at the academy." Abby is about to ask another question, when Martin cuts her off. She tells Abby to leave it alone, and heads for the elevator. Abby stares after her friend, determined as ever to get to the bottom of the situation.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning Samantha arrives at work to find Gibbs, McGee, and Johnson standing around Gibbs' desk talking. She wonders what they are doing, but doesn't say anything.

Hearing the familiar ding of the elevator, she looks up to see DiNozzo walk in with two coffees. Standing next to Martin, he hands her one of the cups. She takes the coffee with a big grin on her face. She takes a sip and says, "Thanks DiNozzo. That's the good stuff." Now her day can truly begin.

Tony laughs and shakes his head at his partner's antics. None of this goes unnoticed by Johnson, who sees how close the two partners are.

They spend most of the morning checking leads and working on intel.

Around lunch time, Abby, Bishop, and Martin leave to get food for everyone. Of course, Abby takes this time to harass her friend. "So…How are things with you and the trainer?" Martin rubs a hand over her face and sighs. "What happened to you dropping it?" "What?" Abby asks innocently. "I just wanted to know if you were having a good day." Martin has to fight to keep from rolling her eyes. "Sure Abby. That's it."

They bring back bags full of Chinese food, to eat while the two teams continue to share information.

Some time later, Gibbs receives a call saying a body has dropped. It's a little extreme to work two cases at once. If anyone can do it though, it's his team. "Grab your gear. Dead Lieutenant in President's Park." Leaving the conference room, everyone hears DiNozzo say, "Oh a park. This should be fun."

The team grabs their gear, and leaves to investigate. Meanwhile, Johnson and Stevens head back to their offices at the CIA.

The team works tirelessly for the next three days, to solve the murder of the Lieutenant found in the park. They need to solve this case, so they can get back to their original investigation.

Johnson and Stevens continue to use the conference room as their offices, while the others work their case. Although Gibbs' team is not currently working the joint investigation, the two men regularly brief his team. Johnson and Martin talk about the case, but never anything more personal.

Three days after they received the case, Martin is interrogating a young male suspect while DiNozzo, Gibbs, and Johnson watch from the other side of the glass.

Gibbs gets a call from Abby and leaves, saying the scientist has found something. The two men watch as Martin slams her hand on the table, and manages to get the suspect to give up his two co-conspirators.

"I always knew she would be good." Johnson says under his breath. Tony doesn't miss it though. He smirks and decides to do a little interrogating of his own. "So….What's with you and my partner?" Johnson stares at Tony in disbelief. He thought he had hid is feelings well. "What do you mean?" Tony laughs. "Oh come on man. Anyone with eyes can tell there's a history." Johnson tries to cover, by saying he was her trainer at the academy. That's all there is to it. Of course Tony doesn't believe him, but lets the subject drop.

The team wraps up their case and completes the always boring paperwork. As it turns out, the Lieutenant had a gambling problem. He owed a few bookies too much money, and it was time for him to pay up. They all head home, with the promise of a fresh start tomorrow on their previous case.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, they are closing in on their targets, as all of the information is coming together. They hear the elevator ding and McGee looks up expecting to see Abby. Seeing it's Fornell instead, he says "Heads up. We've got incoming." DiNozzo looks up and whines. "What's he doing here?" "Always a pleasure to see you too DiNutzzo," says Fornell. Martin stops typing to ask, "To what do we owe the pleasure Fornell?" He smiles at her. At least one of them pretends to be nice. "I come baring news little ones." The two teams head for the conference room and gather around to hear what he has.

The three Pakistani men under investigation are planning an attack, when the USS Virginia is in port. The men are targeting shipmen and civilians with knowledge of a newly established U.S. weapons program. Depending on the information gained from the individual, he or she will most likely be tortured for information and left for dead. The SecNav and her constitutes want Bishop to go in under cover.

They want to use her young naive looks as an asset. Bishop looks around at her team for their reactions. She is uncertain and scared, but agrees to go for the team. The team, especially Gibbs is upset. Gibbs is worried that Bishop is not ready. She hasn't been with them long enough to take on such a feat alone. He bounds up the stairs to Director Vance's office, trying to put an end to this.

His protests fall on deaf ears, as the SecNav has been the one to place the order. Seeing he is not going to get anywhere with the Director, Gibbs storms out of his office, and back to his team. With a pissed off look, he confirms the news. Martin does not agree with this situation at all. She hates the idea of sending Bishop..their probie in without back up. Before anyone else can say anything, Martin insists that she is going under too. They can pose as friends who have an interest in the sailors who will be in port. Everyone is objecting. They don't want to send their female partners into a death trap. Johnson even insists that there must be a better way.

Tony does everything he can to get on the mission. No matter how much he argues, the powers at be say no. They are willing to allow Martin into the undercover op. However, they can't risk any other agents. The plan is set. DiNozzo gets up and storms out of the conference room with everyone watching. Samantha sighs before getting up to follow him.

After a while, they both walk back into the conference room and sit down next to each other. Tony is noticeably calmer. Johnson again notices the connection between the two. As if nothing has happened, the team starts to discuss their plan of attack. Johnson looks around bewildered by the fact that no one else seems surprised. Not even Gibbs is questioning this behavior. A few hours later, everyone is sent home to prepare for the next day.

That night there is an unexpected knock at Martin's door. She opens the door and is surprised to see Johnson standing there. She sighs and stares at the floor. After a moment, she steps back to allow him into her apartment.

Once the door is closed, they stand there for what feels like an eternity. All the while, Johnson is taking in his surroundings. "What are you doing here Jeremy?" asks Samantha. He tells her he got her address from Abby. "Of course you did." She asks again. "What are you doing here?" Without responding, he sits on the couch and looks at her.

"You don't have to do this, you know." She already knows what he's referring to. "Of course I do. There is no way I'm letting Bishop go in there alone. She's too fresh." Jeremy looks at her, and simply asks "Why you?" She doesn't answer. Instead, she heads for the kitchen, and returns with two beers. Offering him one, she sits at the other end of the couch.

She sits there for a minute and then looks up at him. He is waiting patiently for an answer. His eyes watching everything about her.

"It's easier this way. This is her first time going under cover. Someone needs to show her the ropes. Plus….If McGee or DiNozzo went in, they would have to be a couple. I don't think Bishop's husband would take to kindly to that. I'm not even sure Bishop could handle that."

"So you're risking your safety to make sure some guy is ok with what his wife does for a living?" Jeremy can't believe what he's hearing. Samantha sighs. "Just drop it Jeremy."

For a while they just sit there, finishing their beers. Finally, he's daring enough to breach the subject.

"Are we ever going to talk about the elephant in the room?" Samantha refuses to make eye contact. "Come on Sam. How have you been? Are you doing ok?" Samantha looks up at him. "I'm fine. Met the guys on a case, and never looked back. What's the point?"

That stung a little. For some reason, he felt like that last part was directed strictly at him. He tried to push that away.

"How's everyone at home?" He had met her family during her time at the academy. They had come for a few demonstrations, and of course for her graduation. Samantha finally smiles. "Same as always. I talk to my mom at least once a week. Sometimes that gets difficult, but we make it work."

He smiles, and Samantha can't help but feel her heart speed up a little. Even after all these years, he still has that affect on her.

He tells her about his family, and gives her an update on his life since last time they saw each other.

They talk for a while longer until Samantha yawns. He looks at his watch, and realizes it's already 10pm. She's got a big day tomorrow. He needs to let her rest. He doesn't want to leave though. He doesn't want to be away from her…incase something should happen tomorrow.

The second time she yawns, he starts to pull himself up off the couch. She knows he is leaving, and goes to follow him to the door. As he puts his coat on, she goes to open the door.

Before she can fully open it, she hears him call her name. "I'm not going to get you to change your mind about tomorrow, am I?" She simply says, "No." He takes a step closer to her, and wants so badly to touch her. She looks up at him, not completely sure of what she wants to happen.

Finally, he breaks the trance they are both in, and takes a step towards the door. He looks at her again and says, "Sam, just please be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you….you guys." With that he is gone. She is left staring after him…Wondering what just happened.

By the time Johnson makes it to work the next morning, the team is already there. Martin and Bishop are in the process of going under. They are being handed their new credentials and getting a final briefing. Usually, the team wouldn't go over and over the intel. These guys are good though and will spot a fake a mile away.

He doesn't say anything to her, just watches as she prepares. Of course he notices when DiNozzo pulls her to the side. They stand only a few feet away from each other. He watches as Tony rubs his hands up and down both of her arms. A hint of jealously shoots through him. He wanted to touch her last night, but had to pull away. What's going on between these two? After a moment Samantha smiles and walks away.

As the two female agents are leaving Abby comes bouncing off the elevator. She hugs them both, and gives them orders of a return. They both hug her back and promise they will be ok. They say farewell to the rest of their team, including Fornell, Johnson, and Stevens.

Samantha gives Johnson a serious look before heading for the elevator. In that moment, they just look at each other. He thinks she is trying to comfort him, by showing her determination to come back safe. He won't relax until she is home though.

Just before the elevator doors close, she throws DiNozzo a coin. She smiles and says "See you on the flip side partner." DiNozzo smiles and shakes his head once the doors are closed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I still don't own NCIS.**

Five days later, Gibbs, McGee, DiNozzo, Stevens, and Johnson are in the bull pin. A messenger drops off a package for Gibbs. He carefully opens it with some confusion on his face. After a minute, everyone hears him curse and jump up. All eyes go to their leader, and McGee is the first to react. "Boss what's going on?" As he's calling Ducky and Abby on the phone, he hands DiNozzo the package. Tony's face drops, and Jeremy knows this can't be good.

Once everyone is in the office, Gibbs is barking at McGee to play the video on the tv screen. A heavy breathing and soft whispering Martin shows up on the screen. Jeremy's heart drops. He is immediately up and staring at the screen.

He watches, as Martin tells her team that they are going to probably be taken by the three men they have been investigating. The men know they are federal agents, and Martin believes they will use this to their advantage. Both women would be considered valuable assets because of their connections. By being an NCIS agent, Martin has a direct connection to the Secretary of the Navy. With the new weapons program getting off the ground, each branch of the military will soon reap the benefits of the project. This will include the Navy. Maybe they can hold Martin for ransom.

The men's bigger prize, however, is Bishop. Her connections to NSA are invaluable. The information gained from her, would allow them to fight as a world power. They are coming for Bishop, but there is no way she's letting her go alone.

She gives their last known co ordinance, hoping it will at least give their team a starting point. Martin also mentions a warehouse in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, and cave the men are using in the Indus Valley Desert. They haven't figured out exactly what is going on there, but the two partners have learned the two locations are important.

As she is finishing with her information, there is a loud crash from a different room. She looks over her shoulder to make sure Bishop is ok. "I'm having my contact send this too you. He knows what to do. Oh and Gibbs, tell Abby that Operation Blue is a go." With that the video cuts off.

For a moment, everyone is silent. Johnson is dragged out of his thoughts by an angry Gibbs yelling and dictating orders.

Finally, Gibbs turns to a distraught Abby. "What's Operation Blue Abs?" She doesn't respond. "Abs!" Abby turns to them all, and explains that Martin has set it up for her and Bishop to be taken, in order to find out more about what's going on in Pakistan. It was to be used as a last resort. Things must not be going well, if she's playing her final cards.

Gibbs is beyond irritated. "You mean to tell me that she purposely set them up? That she is willingly surrendering herself and another agent when she knows what these men are capable of? How the hell did I not know about this?!" Abby can only nod. She was hoping it wouldn't come to this. Martin had sent her an encrypted message with the information of her plan two days into their cover.

DiNozzo slams his hand down on his desk and yells, "Damn it. I knew I should have been there with her."

Johnson doesn't know what to think or how to feel. Why would she willing do this? He can't lose her. She just walked back into his life. He does the only thing he can think to do. He grabs his phone and calls his contacts within the CIA. He's going to be reinstated so that he can bring her home.

Gibbs spends all day in MTAC and in meetings with the director and the Secretary of the Navy. McGee and DiNozzo are following up on all leads they can possibly find. Ducky is doing his profiling thing, and Abby is blaring music in her lab while processing the information forwarded by Samantha.

Johnson comes back from his meeting, with a gun on his hip and badge in the pocket of his suit jacket, to see the team still working. He sees the pure determination on their faces, and is glad Samantha has these people on her side. She's going to need them.

Johnson decides to go see Abby in the lab. Maybe he can help, and he needs to understand why Samantha would willingly put herself and Bishop in danger.

When he gets to Abby's lab he sees her typing away. Once she realizes he is there, she turns down the music and explains what she is looking at. Before they were taken, Martin and Bishop had sent information on the three men in question.

Johnson helps her sort through more information before broaching the subject of Operation Blue. "Abby. Why would she do this? Not only is she putting herself in danger, but another agent. She knows better than that." Abby can't help but notice how upset he is about Samantha being missing. "She knows what she's doing. She would never put them in harms way unless it was necessary. I just wish I had more information. I need to get them home."

A while later, Abby asks what's been on everyone's mind since day one. "What exactly is your relationship with our lovely agent?" His first thought, is to act naïve. Pretend he doesn't know what she's talking about. However, he sees the look in Abby's eyes, and knows she's determined to get answers. He takes a deep breath and tells what he's been trying to hide for too long.

"Samantha was in my recruit class four years ago. There was something about her. I did my best to push my feelings aside. I was her instructor for God's sake. There was no way anything could happen between the two of us."

He sits there for a moment and smiles. "She was the top of her class. Even when she doubted herself I could see the determination in her eyes. She would stay after a few times…running a few extra miles or asking for more one on one training time. It started with a little harmless flirting on both of our parts. I told myself I wouldn't let it go any further."

"One night I pinned her on the mat. I just stayed there for a minute looking at her. Before I knew what was happening I was kissing her. I knew better, but I just had to. We ended up going back to her place that night…We spent the entire weekend together." He pauses for a moment, and then in all seriousness says, "It was wrong. I could have been fired, and the other recruits would have complained about special treatment."

"I avoided her for a few days. Didn't return her texts. Finally, I told her that nothing could happen between us. I could see that she was hurt, but what was I supposed to do? She went on to graduate with honors, and that was that."

Abby can't believe all that she's hearing. "You still have feelings for her, don't you?" He looks up at her and says, "I never stopped. I dated other girls here and there. I was even in a long term relationship for a while. The relationship wasn't as serious for me, as it was for her. She ended up walking away, telling me if I ever found myself to let her know."

Abby pats him on the shoulder. "You said it yourself. She was the top of the class. You trained her well. She'll take care of them." He shrugs. "I trained her to be a cop on the streets of D.C. If the information coming in is correct, they are probably going to be taken out of the country. We never went over that scenario in class."

"Don't tell me you've lost your faith in her." He gives a true smile for the first time in days. "No way."

That evening he can't take it anymore. He's watched both Gibbs and DiNozzo snap at people all day. Questions about the connection between DiNozzo and Martin constantly linger in his mind.

In search of Abby, he goes back down the scientist's lab. He's going on a mission with these guys. He has to know what he's getting himself into. Turning to Abby, he asks, "What's the deal with Samantha and DiNozzo?"

She smiles, "They are very close partners. They have established a…way of doing things together." He watches her closely and says, "That's my point. They are very close…. Are they seeing each other?" He feels himself blush a little as he's being scrutinized by the all knowing Abby.

"They've had a few close calls. They've saved each others lives, and even went into a war zone together. Last year when Ziva left,….she was one of their partners before Bishop,… Samantha helped him through it. I'm pretty sure Tony was in love with her. He took her leaving pretty hard."

She looked at Jeremy and gave him the information she knew he was waiting for. "They are not, nor have they ever been together. You know yourself, once you've been through a lot with someone, there's a connection." She saw Jeremy relax a little. Maybe he still has a chance.

"Besides" Abby said. "I'm pretty sure she's interested in a new guy I've recently met. I hear they have a bit of a past." She smiles and walks away, leaving Jeremy to figure it out.


	5. Chapter 5

**A huge thanks to those who are following this story and have marked it as a favorite. I know it's a little different then you're probably used to reading. Let me know what you think.**

Three days later, Gibbs, DiNozzo, McGee, and Johnson board a military plane headed for the middle east. They are quiet most of the flight; preparing for what is about to come. As they begin their decent, the guys run through their plan one more time. The plane lands. They are to meet a group of Navy Seals just on the outskirts of town at 4:00 PM. They need to get moving.

That night they get to the buildings and caves where Martin and Bishop are being held. Johnson wants nothing more, than to rush in and save her. He knows to follow protocol though. They all set about their tasks, and scope out the area. He tries to get some sleep, to no avail. It is impossible for him to rest, knowing Samantha is just a few hundred yards away with those men. God only knows what they are doing to her.

Bright and early the next morning, the men get up and prepare to get their partners back. Each man secures his vest and checks his weapons. They must be ready for anything. There is no telling what they're going to encounter.

As they come up on the buildings, there is no commotion. Thankfully, they haven't been spotted yet. The three Seals provide a distraction, while the others go in.

They search every room. No hallway is left untouched. Making a turn down a slightly darker hallway, the men freeze. There are a few men guarding a back hallway. They draw back quickly to devise a plan. Taking their positions, the men rush forward on three.

Shots are fired by both sides. The team throws a smoke bomb, and then rushes forward to find the women. The first door they come to, is on the right. Gibbs gives the signal and on three, they take the room. Martin and Bishop are there within reach.

As they enter the room, Martin stands over Bishop's body, ready to fight. She looks horrible, with her bruised cheek, busted lip, and shoulder still dripping blood from a gunshot wound. She has a look in her eye that Johnson has never seen. She is going to do whatever it takes to protect Bishop. She is ready to fight to the death.

Upon realizing who the men are…That they are her partners there to save them, and not the three men who had repeatedly attacked them…Martin sighs and drops her knife. She looks at Bishop, who is still bruised and unmoving on the ground, and then back to the men. Before she knows what is happening, everything goes black, and she starts to fall. Johnson rushes past McGee, catching her just before her head slams into the ground.

The Navy Seals, who had been outside come rushing in. There is no longer a threat. Two of the guards have been captured, while the three responsible for this chaos have been eliminated.

As they are carrying the women outside, two medical choppers land nearby. Both women are to be rushed to a hospital in nearby Kuwait. Gibbs stays behind with the Seals to tie up loose ends. DiNozzo and Johnson are to ride with Martin, while McGee rides with Bishop.

In the chopper, Johnson and DiNozzo keep a vigil over Martin. Watching as the medic does everything he can, to keep her alive. Her pulse is weak but steady. All Johnson can do, is stare at the unmoving woman in front of him. He holds his head in his hands, as flashes of the two of them together flood his memory. He is vaguely aware of DiNozzo talking to his partner, telling her to fight.

Later at the hospital, Samantha is rushed to surgery, while Bishop is placed in a room. She had awoken from her unconscious state with a start. Not realizing she has been rescued, she is afraid her captors are there to finish the job. Gibbs and McGee are there to calm her down. Once she has stopped crying, she asks where Martin is. Gibbs explains, that everything is ok. Samantha is in surgery, but will be fine.

Bishop let out a huge sigh of relief. "I owe her everything. Samantha saved my life." The men look at her, and are about to question her meaning, when Jake, Bishop's husband comes rushing to his wife's side. The three agents are surprised to see him arrive so quickly. Gibbs had only made the call to NSA this morning.

Meanwhile, DiNozzo and Johnson sit in the waiting room waiting for news on Samantha. She has been in surgery for a hour, and Johnson is getting restless. DiNozzo looks over to where Johnson is pacing the floor. He keeps running his hands through is hair, and stopping to look at every nurse or doctor that walks by. Under any other circumstance, Tony might find the situation funny.

"So, you love my girl huh?" Johnson freezes mid stride and just stares at DiNozzo. "What? No. What are you talking about?" His wide eyes and fumbling words give him away.

"Family of Samantha Martin." Johnson is saved from answering by the doctor walking through the doors. Both agents rush over to the doctor hoping for good news. "Agent Martin did great during surgery. Everything went according to plan. She'll be taken to a room soon. I'll have a nurse come to escort you once she is settled in."

DiNozzo shakes his hand and thanks the doctor before going to find Gibbs. Johnson runs a hand over his face and looks up, as if to thank God for saving Samantha.

He suddenly remembers that no one has called home to give Abby or Ducky a report. He dials Abby's number, and she immediately answers. "What's going on? How are my girls?" He can't help but smile. "Abby calm down. They are both going to be fine. Once they are both stable, we'll be flying home." He can hear Abby crying on the other end of the line. "You bring them back to me. From the intel I've read, Samantha took the brunt of the punishment." You make sure she's alright." "I will Abby. You don't even have to ask." He hangs up, and goes to find Bishop's room.


	6. Chapter 6

When he gets to Bishop's room, he notes everyone standing around her bed. A man is sitting by her bed holding her hand. 'This must be her husband' he thinks.

He leans against the far wall, as Bishop recounts their ordeal. Somehow, their cover had been blown. They were not able to get all the information they needed to bring the men down. Bishop was ready to pack it in, and get an immediate ride home. Martin, however, had different plans. She explained her idea to Bishop, and promised to keep her safe. Bishop had reservations, but would never second guess her senior agent and partner. If nothing else, she trusted her friend.

Martin used her contact to act as a mole. He gave their location away, which would undoubtedly send the men their way. The women allowed themselves to be taken, only slightly protesting for appearances sake.

At first, the two women were placed in separate rooms. They were tied to chairs and repeatedly asked questions. From what she could tell, Martin must not have been too forth coming. She continuously heard smacking noises as if somebody was getting hit.

Bishop did her best to remain silent, as she too was tied up for answers. The lack of answers were getting to their captors. They struck her across the face. Hoping her cries of torture would cause Martin to crack. Instead, it only made Martin more determined. She provided no answers to the men. In fact, she dared to ask questions of her own. She was not disillusioned. This wasn't going to be easy. However, she had no doubt that the members of her team were well on their way.

Eventually, the women were placed in the same room. Martin immediately rushed to Bishop's side. Each time the men came looking for answers, it was Martin that stepped forward. She allowed herself to be taken, so that Bishop could rest. It seemed as if every time she would return, she had a new injury. She wouldn't give up though.

The third day they were locked in a room together, was when they received the worst of their injuries. Two of the men came in to take Bishop. Martin continued to stand in the way. The men demanded she move. When she refused, they attacked. She was kicked in the ribs multiple times, while being thrown around. Bishop screamed for them to stop. She would willingly go with them if they promised to stop hurting her friend. She went with the two men, but only gave up the most basic of information. The men were not happy.

The men went to talk to their third partner in crime. They needed answers and fast. The third man had had enough. He shoved the door open, slamming it into the wall behind.

He demanded Bishop tell him everything, right then and there. Neither woman spoke. As he pulled his gun to point it at Bishop, Martin jumped in the way. She was not going to let this happen. The man screamed, and demanded she move. Martin stood her ground, despite the men advancing. The man with the gun shot her in the left shoulder. He looked at her for a moment, as she held her shoulder, and said, "Next time I won't miss."

As the men left Bishop immediately ran to her side trying to help. "Why would you do that? Don't ever do that again." Bishop found her jacket, and did her best to put pressure on the wound. She needed to stop the bleeding. While not the worst wound, it was still bad under the circumstance. They were able to slow the bleeding, and used Bishop's jacket as a tourniquet.

A day later, their team was there to rescue them.

Jeremy has to leave the room. He can't bare to hear anymore. Samantha had sacrificed herself to save her friend and partner. While he is booming with pride for what she had done, he can't help but feel anger towards her. What had she been thinking? What if something had happened to her? That is not something he's prepared to think about. He has so much to tell her. When this is over, and they are home, he is going to insist on them talking.

He just gets back to the waiting room, when a nurse comes to find him. She takes him to her room, and mentions Martin should be awake soon. He stops right outside the door. Not sure if he wants to see her stuck in a bed with machines all around. He's not going to leave her now though.

Taking a deep breath, he opens the door. As he walks in the room, he takes in the sight of her. She is too pale for his liking, but seems to be better off than she was a few hours ago. As he sits down, a nurse comes in to check her vitals. Johnson asks the nurse to escort the others to her room when they are done visiting with Bishop.


	7. Chapter 7

Jeremy sits there looking at her. Finally, he allows himself to give in. He grabs her hand and holds on for dear life. As he starts talking to her, he brushes away some of the hair that has fallen across her face. "I'm counting on you being ok Sam. You've been so strong since day one. If anyone can get through this, it's you. I'm going to be right here with you every step of the way."

He sits back in his chair, and watches her for a while. She just has to be ok. An hour or so later, he leans forward and starts talking to her again. He wants her to know he is there. She's not alone. He holds her hand, and yet again rehashes the amazing weekend they had together. "Please Samantha just wake up. We'll take it from there. Please."

It is at this time, her team makes their appearance. He does his best to pull himself together. He doesn't let go of her hand. If he has it his way, he never will. They all sit around her room, only leaving for coffee or restroom breaks.

Later that night, McGee and Johnson are in her room, while Gibbs and DiNozzo are busy making travel plans and checking on Bishop. She is doing much better. They are all ready to go home. They just need Martin to wake up.

Finally around 8:00 PM, she begins to stir. Johnson, who has been holding her hand, immediately wakes up and looks at her. For a moment, nothing happens. Then she begins to moan and turn her head. She slowly opens her eyes, adjusting to the harsh lighting in the room. She turns to look at both men, who are now standing by her bed. With a harsh scratchy voice Martin asks, "Where's Bishop?"

McGee chuckles, while Johnson lets out a sigh of relief. "She's fine. She's in a room down the hall." Johnson says. "You are the one we've all been worried about." McGee immediately leaves the room looking for Gibbs. While he is gone, Johnson does his best to bring Martin up to speed. She seems to relax, as she learns the fate of her captors. She is also relieved to know that Bishop is going to be perfectly fine….If not a little indebted to her for a very long time.

As she's drinking a cup of water, Gibbs and DiNozzo come rushing into her room. They both want to hug her and slap her upside the head at the same time. Gibbs speaks first. "Glad you're ok Martin. You and I are going to talk later though." She looks at him for a moment and just lays her head back on the bed. That will be fun. The guys can't help but laugh at her reaction. Even Gibbs seems to give a little smirk.

DiNozzo steps up next to her bed. "Hey partner. You done playing Rambo yet?" She smiles. "I'll let you know later." She pauses, and then says "Where's my quarter?" He stutters for a moment. "I ugh….I may have lost it while saving your life." She pretends to be outraged, "You can't be serious!" He smiles with a mischievous grin, pulling something out of his pocket. "No. It's right here. No way I'm losing this bad boy." He leans forward to pat her cheek. She shoves his hand away, but continues to smile.

Johnson sits back and watches their interaction. There is still a pang of jealousy at witnessing the close bond they share. However, he is glad to see her happy. He knows these guys are good for her. He also tries to maintain hope of what Abby has hinted at. Could it be true? Does she return the feelings he has been trying to hide for so long? Only time will tell.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I still don't own NCIS. **

Three days later, both Bishop and Martin are released from the hospital. Bishop is only left with a few bruises and a slight concussion. While Martin's injuries are a little more severe, she too is in good spirits and beyond ready to get home.

They all board the plane. Martin laying her seat back, to release the pressure from her ribs. Gibbs sits next to her for the time being. He knows he will eventually have to give his seat up to a certain CIA Agent. He has seen the way the two have been looking at each other…even before the rescue mission. McGee and DiNozzo are sitting by each other. Bishop and her husband are also sitting together. It is safe to say, Jake isn't leaving her side any time soon. Not that anyone can blame him.

They are two hours into their flight, when Martin becomes fidgety. The pain in her ribs and shoulder, is making it difficult to stay in one position for too long. Gibb's stops reading his paper, to ask if she is alright. "I'm fine. Just need to get up for while." With the help of Gibbs, she slowly gets out of her seat and squeezes past him. She takes a look around the plane. Not like there is really anywhere to go.

As she paces the isle of the plane, she looks at her partners. McGee is typing away on his laptop. She can only imagine what he's doing. DiNozzo is using his headphones to watch a movie. Probably some James Bond flick. Johnson is laying back in his seat, headphones on and eyes closed. She assumes he is asleep.

She makes her way to the back of the plane, where Bishop and Jake are sitting. They are both awake, with Bishop laying her head on his shoulder. Martin leans down, to ask Jake if he will give them a few minutes. Jake looks at Bishop before answering. Bishop gives him a small smile telling him it is fine. He gets up, and goes to find another seat.

There are a few silent moments, as the two just sit in their seats, taking in all that has happened in the past few weeks. Finally, Martin turns to Bishop, "How are you feeling?" Bishop smirks. "Funny, I should be asking you that. How are the ribs and shoulder?" Martin pats her arm. "Soar. I'll be alright though."

They sit there for another moment, as Martin tries to figure out what to say. "I'm sorry I put you through all of this. If I had moved faster, I would have known your cover had been blown. Maybe I could have gotten you out of there, before it was too late." Bishop turns to her with a surprised look. "No Samantha. None of this is your fault. You had no way of knowing what would happen."

Martin tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. "That's my point. I should have been more aware. I knew what we were walking into." This time, Bishop puts her hand on Martin's arm trying to bring her some sense of comfort. "You forget. I went through the same trainings and briefings as you. I was well aware of what I was walking into. I get that I'm greener than the rest of you, but I'm pretty sure you went above and beyond. You have nothing to worry about."

Martin looks up the isle, and sees Jake getting up from his seat. She smiles and slowly gets up from hers. Man, he really is going to be her shadow for a while. " No probie. That's how it works. You always have your partner's six." With that she starts walking back up the isle.

She gets halfway back up the isle, when she notices Johnson is awake. He must have woken up when Jake switched seats. She smiles, as she thinks, the man doesn't miss much. Even sleeping with headphones on.

As she walks by him, on the way to her seat, she sees him turn his head to look at her. They look at each other for a moment. Neither willing to be the first to break their trance. As if on cue, DiNozzo takes that opportunity to make one of his wise cracks. "Excuse me miss. The captain has not turned off the seatbelt sign. Please return to your seat." Martin can't help but laugh. "Shut it DiNozzo."

With a final look at Johnson, she returns to her original seat next to Gibbs.


	9. Chapter 9

A few hours later, she is reading a book, that Gibbs has somehow made magically appear. He had gotten up to make a phone call, and simply returned with it, like it was no big deal. She supposes she shouldn't be surprised. Gibbs looks over at her, as if he can read her mind. "How's the book? You need anything?" "It's actually pretty good. Thanks." She sighed, as if she doesn't want to ask for help. "Would you mind getting a pain pill. I'm going to try and get some sleep. Maybe make this flight go faster."

Gibbs smiles and gets up. Once he vacates his seat, Johnson sees his opportunity. He stands up from his seat and glances at Gibbs as he walks by. Gibbs simply nods, knowing what he is asking. Without any words, Johnson steps into the isle, and makes his way to the front of the plane.

Martin is looking out the window when he gets there. "This seat taken?" She turns to him in surprise, and smirks. "Guess not."

"How are you feeling?" "About as good as I look, I suppose. I was shot and repeatedly kicked in the ribs." Then as an after thought, she says, "I'll bounce back in a few days." Johnson can't help but smile.

They sit in comfortable silence for a while. Neither really knowing what to say to the other. She looks at the man next to her, studying him. He more or less looks the same as he did four years ago. The same solid frame, you could only get from working out and training every day. His hair is still the same dark brown, just slightly longer. She had loved running her hands through it during their weekend together. Then suddenly, as if he knows he is being watched, he turns to look at her….Those eyes. The ones that captivated her more than they ever should. Those beautiful brown eyes that had stared deep down into her soul during their time together…She has to make herself look away. Slightly flushed, she acknowledges him.

"Thank you for coming with the team. I'm glad you are here." He looks at her, eyes sparkling a little. "Of course I'm here. There was no way they were coming without me. I got reinstated and everything." Martin looks at him in shock. He had gotten reinstated? Why? Just to come save her? She won't allow herself to think about that. There were two agents that had been captured during a high stakes investigation. Crucial CIA intel had been leaked. Of course he is here.

Before she can respond, Gibbs returns with her pain pills. "Get some rest Martin. That's an order." He looks at the two of them, and walks away. Walking to find a different seat, he thinks those two are about as clueless as I am in the love department. Can't they see what's going on?….Wait, why am I even encouraging this? He better be good to her. He sits down and got comfortable, figuring he will be there for a while.

Meanwhile, things in the front of the plane are getting interesting. Martin has taken the pain pills she had been given. She feels her eyes getting heavy, but doesn't want to admit to it. Johnson does his best not to laugh at her. It is funny to see her fighting sleep…her eyes close, and she immediately throws them open and tries to adjust in her seat. Hoping the movement will keep her awake.

"Get some sleep Martin. We've still got about two hours before we stop to refuel." She has the nerve to look a little sheepish, as she asks, "What about you?" "Don't worry about me. I've got a book and headphones. I'll wake you if anything happens." With that, she lays her seat back and tries to get comfortable.

After ten minutes of tossing and turning, she sits back up and sighs. Johnson looks at her, wondering if he should offer. Finally he says, "I hear I make a pretty good pillow." She eyes him for a moment. Ugh. Why not she thinks? He's got to be more comfortable than these plane seats. She grabs the arm rest, the only barrier between them, and pulls it up.

She grabs her blanket, and carefully scoots closer to him. Looking up at him, to make sure he is ok with this. She hesitantly puts her head on his shoulder. He doesn't move to pull away, so she relaxes into him, and put more of her weight against his side. Pulling the blanket up, she accidentally brushes the outer part of his thigh with her hand. She feels him tense at the contact, before relaxing again. She snuggles into his side and falls asleep.

Had she been awake, she would have caught him watching her. What was that he thinks? Even after all this time, she can still affect me. As if trying to forget about it, he begins reading his book.

About half an hour later, McGee looks at them on his way back from the bathroom. As he and Johnson make eye contact, he smirks and hurries back to his seat. Not long after, it is DiNozzo's turn. It isn't lost on Johnson, that they are both using the front laboratory, when there is another closer one in the back of the plane. On his way back to his seat, DiNozzo stops in the isle way right in front off their seats. His eyes shift from his partner and then to Johnson. He has a huge smile on his face, and shakes his head.

Johnson, for his part, is trying his hardest to look nonchalant. "It's not what it looks like." DiNozzo laughs harder, and says, "Yes, it is" He looks at his partner snuggled into the CIA Agent. She looks peaceful and content. His eyes then travel to Johnson. "Be good to her man." With that he walks away. Johnson scoffs. It's not like she would be willing to give him another chance anyway. He was the idiot that had let her walk away.

As the plane begins its decent into London's Heathrow Airport, Samantha begins to wake. Looking over to Johnson, she notices he has fallen asleep with his headphones on. She wonders how long she has been asleep. She could have sworn, they had hours before they were to land. Slowly sitting up, she removes her phone from her carry on bag. She has been asleep for a good two hours. 'Must have been a good pain pill. Knocked me out cold.'

She looks around the plane, taking in here surroundings. Bishop and Jake are still asleep. Gibbs is reading the in flight magazine. DiNozzo is watching yet another movie…Doesn't he ever get tired of those…and McGee looks like he has just woken up.

Turning back around, she watches Johnson as he sleeps. He looks peaceful, like he doesn't have a care in the world. Samantha still can't believe he is here. She hasn't seen the man in years, and yet here he is, risking his life to bring her and her partner home.

Feeling a little more courageous, as he is asleep, and not aware of what she is doing, Samantha gently reaches over and touched his arm. She slides her hand up his arm towards his shoulder. Pausing there, she glances to his face. She is worried he will wake up to find her touching him and starring. How would she explain that? She very carefully reaches to cup his cheek, but pulls her hand back quickly. This is insane she thinks.

She reaches over, and shakes Jeremy's shoulder. "Jeremy we're about to land. Come on, you have to wake up." He begins to stir. Turning his head to look at her before sitting up and pulling his seat forward. They both sit there. Neither knowing what to say. Finally, Johnson asks, "Sleep good?" You idiot he thinks. That's all you have to say?

Samantha looks at him and smiles. "Yes. Thank you. Thanks for being my pillow." She looks out the window, just as the planes' wheels are touching down. 'Good' she thinks. I need to get off of this plane. Once they have reached the hanger, she immediately stands to leave. There is no need to take her belongings, as she will return to the same plane later.

Sensing her uneasiness, Jeremy gets up and immediately lets her pass. 'Great' he thinks, 'She can't wait to get away from me.' The rest of the team, gathers what they need, and exit the plane.


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks to those who have reviewed this story. It helps to know what you as the readers think.**

They all meet in the terminal, trying to figure out what to do while they wait for the plane to refuel. Gibbs, deciding he was hungry, and knowing the others hadn't had a real meal in hours, suggests they find a restaurant to eat. They look at the directory, and find their way to Shapiros.

They find their seats, Martin putting herself between McGee and DiNozzo. She sees Johnson watching her out of the corner of her eye. 'What was that look?' she wonders. 'Is he really upset that I didn't sit by him?' Pushing the thought aside she turns to stare at her menu. Anything to distract her from his prying eyes. After the waitress takes their orders and leaves, McGee turns to look at Martin. "You good?" he asks. She smiles. "I'll be good once I get some food in me."

After a good meal among friends, they head to the gift shop closest to their terminal. Gibbs grabs a newspaper and a bottle of water, and then heads off to verify everything is ready for the flight home. Bishop and Jake simply pick up something to drink, and head back to the terminal. Bishop is so focused on getting home. All she wants, is to feel safe again, and being home will give her a sense of security. The others continue to walk around the shop a while longer.

DiNozzo sees a variety of t-shirts, ones with sayings like 'I love London' or pictures of Big Ben on them. "Hey Martin!" he says, as he holds up a shirt. "Too soon?" McGee at least has the decency to act appalled. "Jeez Tony." He turns to Martin and says, "Just remember I can put a virus on his computer at any time." He then heads to the cashier to purchase his magazines and a bear wearing a London shirt for Abby. Martin looks at DiNozzo and says, "You really are an ass, you know that?"

She's only half serious though. Under any other circumstance, she would love to visit London. Stopping over, after being rescued from crazed terrorist isn't exactly her idea of a great visit. While memories of the past week will haunt her for a while, she knows he is just trying to make a joke to make her feel better.

She steps up to the cashier, to buy her bottle of water and the newest Alex Cross book. Before she can pay, Johnson steps up to pay for both of their purchases. She turns to thank him as DiNozzo walks up. "Awww. You're not going to pay for mine?" Martin smirks, while Johnson shakes his head and goes to walk away. She grabs her items, and leaves for the terminal.

DiNozzo pays for his magazine and candy. He laughs to himself as he grabs some breath mints. He plans to tease Martin and Johnson about the importance of having fresh breath. You never know when that will come in handy. He heads to the terminal, where everyone is getting ready to board the plane.

Like before, Bishop and Jake sit together. Gibbs sits alone, where he plans to get some much needed sleep. He'll have to talk to Martin and Bishop later about having their psych evaluations and being on desk duty for a while. He's not looking forward to that conversation, so he will relax while he can. Martin walks down the isle towards McGee. "This seat taken?" He smiles up at her, and moves his laptop so she can sit next to him. DiNozzo grabs a seat in the middle of the plane, hoping to sit alone. When he sees Johnson sitting alone, he decides now would be the perfect time to talk to him and maybe tease him about his unyielding love for his partner. "Hey Johnson. Over here." He motions him over and Johnson hesitantly moves to sit next to him. 'Only eight more hours until I'm home,' he thinks.

It's about a hour and a half into the flight, and things are surprisingly quiet. Bishop is laying back in her seat sleeping, while Jake is reading a book. Gibbs is settling back to go to sleep. He hasn't spoken to anyone since boarding the flight. McGee and Martin had been reading for a while, but were now talking quietly. DiNozzo turns to Johnson, who has been reading his own book. Now was his chance.

"So ugh Jeremy. Can I call you Jeremy?" 'Here we go thinks Jeremy.' He sighs and puts his book down. "Why don't you tell me a little about yourself. Family, work, How did you get into the CIA?" Jeremy looks at Tony. "What's with the twenty questions?" "What? I just thought I should get to know you if you're going to be sticking around." Jeremy rolls his eyes. "Say what you want to say DiNozzo." Tony smiles and gets comfortable in his seat. "What's the plan when we get home?" Jeremy is pretty sure he knows what Tony is asking, but decides to skirt around the subject. "Well…I will take a taxi home. I might even take a shower and watch tv before I go to bed. What about you?" "Ha!" Says Tony. "You know what I'm talking about. What's going to happen with you and our special agent?"

Jeremy sighs. He's not even sure himself. How is he supposed to explain this to some one else? "I don't know Tony. We will probably go back to our normal lives. She'll be on desk duty until she's healed, and I'll have to talk to Stevens and the CIA to see where I stand." "That's it? You aren't going to try and make something happen with her? I thought you cared about her." Jeremy rubs the side of his face. "I do Tony. Everyone knows that. I blew my chance though. I had an opportunity to make something of it four years ago, and decided to save my career instead." Tony shakes his head. "You're wrong Johnson. I know my partner. I know there is something there. You two are just too blind to see it."

Jeremy doesn't say anything. Just looks straight ahead. "You know, she's had a couple boyfriends over the past few years. One, we even thought might be a keeper. He surprised her with a dog for them to have at _their _new place. She freaked, and he was gone pretty soon after that. I'm sure you have your own stories like that. Relationships that made you happy, but for some reason they just never worked out." Jeremy just looks at him like a deer in headlights. His head was really starting to hurt. "You let her walk away once. Don't be dumb enough to do it again."

He hears Martin laugh at something McGee says. He can't help but look at her. Even with everything she's been through, she's still so tough and beautiful. He had no doubt in his mind, that she would be a great cop. From what he can tell, she's still the same amazing person as before too. Could he really let her walk away again, and spend the rest of his life wondering what if? "Just think about it Johnson."


	11. Chapter 11

A few hours later, Gibbs calls Martin back to where he is sitting. He wants to get this talk over with. "Hey Gibbs. What's going on?"

" I wanted to talk to you about what will happen when we return home. I'm sure you know the drill…psych eval and desk duty. I want your doctor and Ducky to sign off before you go back in the field." Martin sighs. "Is all that really necessary boss? There's still a little pain, but I'm fine." Gibbs looks at her. "If you're truly fine, then you'll breeze through the eval and physical. You'll be back to work in no time." "Oh come on boss!" She feels a few sets of eyes on her, and lowers her voice.

Leaning forward, she says, "You know how we all feel about shrinks. If anyone needs a psych eval, it would be Bishop. We need to make sure our girl is going to get through this." Gibbs smirks. "Nice try Sam. I'm not going to risk the well being of my team. I need to know my people are good." Martin sits back in her seat. "Fine Gibbs. Make the appointment. I'll prove to you nothing is wrong."

With that, she walks back to an empty seat on the plane. This time she sits alone, instead of finding her place next to McGee. She's so wrapped up in her thoughts, she doesn't see that Johnson is watching her. He thinks about going to sit by her, to make sure she's alright, but decides against it. He's got so many thoughts going through his own head.

Looking at his watch, he notices he has two hours to make a decision….Two hours to decide his fate.

While Bishop sleeps, Jake makes his way up to Martin's seat. "Mind if I sit here for a while?" She smiles up at him. "Sure. How's it going?" For a moment, he doesn't say anything. He turns to look at her, but then looks forward. After this happens a few times, Martin finally speaks up. "Jake. What is it?" He looks over his shoulder, to make sure Bishop isn't there. Then, he turns to her and says, "I'm worried about Ellie. She has spent most of this trip sleeping. She doesn't want to talk about what happened at all."

Martin pats him on the arm before she begins her speech. "Jake. What happened is still fresh. I can pretty much guarantee she has never been through anything like that before. I certainly hope she's never faced with anything like that again. Giver her some time." Jake tries to smile, but it falls short. "Besides." Martin adds, "Gibbs is making us both see a shrink when we get back. If there's anything wrong, we'll figure it out."

He sits there for a few more minutes before standing up in the isle. He leans back down a little and says, "Thanks. I need her to be ok. I'm glad she has you guys." Martin reaches up and places her hand on top of his. "She'll be fine. Just give it some time." With a real smile, he walks back to seat.

A hour later, DiNozzo stirs in his seat. He has read a book…which is odd for him. He'll take a movie over a book any day. He tried to talk some sense into the guy next to him, and he even took a nap. 'How much longer until we're home?' Checking his watch, he sees they have another hour.

Turning to Johnson, he sees the guy is reading another book. 'Probably trying to keep his mind off of my partner,' he thinks. He puts his hand in his pocket, and discovers the mints he had bought earlier. He smirks and says, "Hey Johnson." The guy looks over wondering what now. DiNozzo throws a container of mints his way. "Freshen your breath. You'll need it when you give Martin a welcome home kiss." Johnson narrows his eyes, but doesn't say anything. He doesn't give the mints back either.

DiNozzo gets up and squeezes past Johnson. He heads up front to use the restroom with a smile on his face. Coming out of the restroom, he sees that Martin is awake. He slips into the seat next to his partner. Prepared to start a little trouble. Johnson sees this, and wants to roll his eyes. He watches as Martin turns her head to look at the man sitting next to her.

"What do you want Tony? You have that look in your eye." Pretending to be hurt, he says, "I'm shocked Sammy. I just wanted to come see how my partner is doing." She narrows her eyes at him, and says, "Don't call me Sammy." Tony laughs and pulls out his other package of mints. He gives them to Samantha saying, "Here I got you something. Figured you'd want to freshen your breath before you give old lover boy a nice little smooch." She punches him in the arm, but keeps the mints. "You're an idiot DiNozzo."

For a while, they sit in comfortable silence. Tony doesn't know when to leave things alone though. "Soooo….Are you going to see him again, once we get home?" She feigns ignorance. "See who?" "Oh come on Martin. You know exactly who I'm talking about. The man walks back into your life, saves you, and now you're going to just walk away and never see him again?" "What do you want me to do Tony? I tried to make it work four years ago. He told me he didn't want me." She hangs her head a little, trying not to let him see how much this bothers her.

Tony lightly laughs. "First of all, that was four years ago. You need to let it go. Secondly, you know damn well, you would have done the same thing had it been your career that was on the line. And thirdly, that's not the way I hear it. From what I've gathered, he was crazy about you then and he still is now." Martin stares out the window. "Just let it go Tony. Please." He decides he's going to push a little bit further, before he gives up. "Come on Sam. Even a fool can see that you two are meant to be together. Why is it so hard to accept what's right in front of you?"

She glances at him. "Think back to when Ziva left." She immediately sees him swallow and get a little uncomfortable. "You willingly open your heart to someone. You know it's wrong and it probably shouldn't happen., but you just can't help yourself. You allow yourself to live in some fantasy world, thinking everything will work out. Then reality comes slamming back down on you. No matter how bad you may want it, some things just aren't meant to be." They sit in silence again. Both thinking about their own 'one who got away.'

Finally, Tony turns to her. "Here's the difference though. You have been given another chance. Maybe fate wasn't saying no. It was just saying not now." He's cut off by Martin laughing. "When did you become this great philosopher on love? Maybe you should take your own advice and go see your partner from Philly. Who was it? Oh that's right. Ms. Keates." Tony shakes his head. He doesn't know why this is so important. He just wants his partner to be happy. She's been there for him through thick and thin. She helped him deal with the whole Ziva leaving thing. He's not completely over her, but he thinks he's getting there. He might be ready to date….soon…"

Just promise me you'll think about it. Don't give up on the guy just yet." At first, Martin doesn't say anything. She looks at Tony, and then says, "I'll think about it. If he is truly interested though, he's going to have to make the first move." Tony smiles and gets up to head back to his seat. He had done what he could to get these two together. Now it was all up to them.


	12. Chapter 12

The plane touched down at Reagan International Airport about half an hour after Martin and DiNozzo's talk. They all grab their bags and debark the plane. There's no need to pick up luggage. When you're on a rescue mission, the most you will need is a carry on. Everyone heads to the entrance of the airport. Gibbs turns to his team. "Take the next two days off. Monday we start fresh. Paperwork and evaluations. I'll send you two (looking at Martin and Bishop) the times of your appointments."

Everyone nods. Martin says, "Right. See you guys later." and heads out the door. She really just wants to get home. DiNozzo turns to look at Johnson. He wonders if the idiot is going to go after his girl.

Johnson gets the hint, and chases out the door after her. "Martin!" She sighs, but stops walking. Turning to look at him, she gives him a tired smile. "Do you uh maybe want to share a cab? "Don't you live in Virginia?" He sheepishly smiles. "Well yes, but we can take you home first." She shakes her head and says ok. She's too tired to question things.

As they get into the cab, Martin sees everyone else leaving. Jake and Bishop get in their car to leave. McGee and DiNozzo share a cab, and Gibbs takes the charger home. Martin gives her address to the cab driver, and sits back. The drive back to her place is a quiet one. When the cab gets to her apartment, Martin lazily drags herself out of the car. Johnson thinks about taking the easy way out. He could say goodnight, and see her again some day in the future….he hopes. 'No' he thinks. He pays the cabby, and gets out of the car after her.

As she enters her building, she senses him behind her. Turning to him, he says, "At least let me walk you to your door." She doesn't say anything. Simply allows him to follow her to the elevator. They get off at her floor and walk to her door. She unlocks the door, and then turns to him.

Part of her wants to send him away. A bigger part of her wants to invite him in, and never let him leave again. She's exhausted, so her mouth works faster than her brain. Before she knows it, she has invited him into her apartment. He only hesitates for a second before smiling and saying yes.

She slowly turns to open her door, and allows them both to walk in. She throws her bag down, and just stands there in the entrance way, looking around. Home sweet home she thinks. Meanwhile, Johnson closes the door and sets his bag down. He's not sure what to do or say. He can tell she needs to rest. There must be a reason she invited him in though, right?

"Why don't you go sit down on the couch. I'll grab us both something to drink." She simply nods, and walks to the couch. A minute later, Johnson places a beer for him and a bottle of water for her on the coffee table. After a few minutes of silence, they both speak at the same time. "Johnson I…" "Martin…" They stare at each other, and smile. He allows her to speak first.

"Johnson, I don't even know what to say. Two weeks ago, you were the past, and now…Here you are in front of me." She looks down trying to compose herself and make her brain work. "I thought I would never see you again, and now we're just getting back from a mission where terrorist tried to use highly classified information to kill us all. I guess….I guess I just want to say thank you. I know it was your job to take out the threat to the CIA. I get that, but you also helped bring Bishop and me home. Thank you for saving the day, in more than one way." With that, she finally makes eye contact with him.

He watches her before saying anything. "You're welcome. How could I not be there? So much was at stake." She leans back on the couch, no longer looking at him. He's afraid she's missed his meaning.

They sit there in silence. Martin starts to nod off. He shakes her arm and stands to leave. Embarrassed for falling asleep, Martin stands up to follow him. At the door, he turns to look at her. Once again he is overwhelmed with the need to touch her. He would love nothing more than to climb into bed with her and wrap his arms around her.

"Give me your phone." She looks up at him. "What?" He holds out his hand "Give me your phone." With a confused look on her face, she reaches into her bag and pulls it out. Handing it to him, she asks, "What are you doing?" He doesn't respond until he hands it back to her. "You have my number. If you need anything. Someone to talk to, help lifting something heavy, ANYTHING. You call me." She stares at him and then finally smiles. "I will. Thank you."

Not being able to take it anymore, he moves closer to her, and places his hands on her sides. He both hears and feels her intake of breath. Before she knows what is happening, he leans forward and gently places a kiss on her forehead. His lips linger a little longer than they should. He then pulls back to look at her. "There was too much at stake. You couldn't keep me away from there if you tried."

For a moment she is shocked into silence. Was this really happening? He sees the moment his words register in that tired brain of hers. She looks down, blushing. Before he gives in, and begs her to let him stay, he pulls away and grabs his bag. He is opening the door when she looks up. She doesn't say anything…when you think about it, what can she say? They stare into each other's eyes one more time, and then he is gone.

'Wow' she thought. She stood there for another minute, before turning to go to her bedroom. She manages to take off her shoes, and then climbs into bed with her clothes on. With a smile, she falls asleep. Everything else could wait until morning.

The next morning, she takes a hot shower and changes her clothes…Not an easy feat with broken ribs and an injured shoulder. She puts on lounging pants and a long t-shirt. She doesn't plan on leaving the apartment at all. She simply wants to enjoy the comfort of being home…safe…and free to do as she pleases.

Later that afternoon, as she is dozing on the couch. She hears a knock at the door. She cautiously opens the door to see a delivery man holding flowers. "Are you Samantha?" "Yes…" He hands here a clipboard and pen. "Sign here please. These are for you." She does as she's told, and thanks the man for the flowers. Closing the door, she notices there is a card. She sets the vase full of flowers on the table, and opens the card. 'Welcome home. Hope you are feeling well today. Remember…anything.' There's no name on the card, but there's not a doubt in her mind who the card is from.

She paces the room for a while. 'What does this mean? Why would he send these?' In all her wariness, she can't figure out what to say. Instead of calling him and looking like an idiot, she sends him a text. "Thank you for the beautiful flowers. I really do appreciate them. Don't worry. I remember…anything." A few minutes later she receives a text from him. "You're welcome. I'm glad you like them. Call me for anything." She reads the text and gets a huge smile on her face. She feels like jumping around like a little school girl…not a good idea when you have broken ribs.

She grabs her phone and takes a picture of the flowers. Sending the picture to Abby with a message of "I need you." Abby responds immediately with an "I'm on my way."

Putting her phone down, she just stares at the flowers.

Twenty minutes later, their is a knock at the door. As soon as Martin opens the door, Abby is on her. Forgetting for a brief moment about her injuries, Abby throws her arms around Samantha and nearly squeezes her to death. She is so happy to see her friend. Samantha winces, and says, "Abby you have to let go." "Oh! Sorry! I'm just so glad you're ok."

Walking into the living room, they both take a seat on the couch. The scientist immediately bombards her with questions. "How are you feeling? How was the flight back? How's Bishop? Is Gibbs putting you through the ringer?" Samantha smiles. The past week has been rough, and it's nice to be back with her over caring friend.

"I'm good…all things considered. Bishop will be alright. She just needs to get through what happened. Gibbs is making us both see a shrink before we are allowed back to active duty." "Well good." Abby says. "We need our girls to be ok."

They sit there for a moment, and Abby notices the far away look in her friend's eyes. "What's going on?" Samantha looks at her friend and sighs. Instead of explaining, she turns and points to the flowers sitting on her table.

Abby immediately jumps up and rushes to the table. "Who are these from?" She takes a moment to read the card, and turns beaming to her friend. "What exactly does this mean?….Wait….Are these from trainer boy?" She knows the answer by the look on Samantha's face. She shrieks and does a little happy dance. She runs back to the couch and asks, "So what's going on? What does this mean?"

Samantha wrings her hands. "After the airport, we shared a cab. He actually got out of the cab and walked me to the door. We talked for a while, and when he left….he….he kissed my forehead and told me to call him if I needed anything. Today, these show up." Again, Abby lets out a shriek and does a little happy dance. "This is amazing! I knew you two would get together."

Samantha looks up shocked. "Abby. We aren't together." Now it's Abby's turn to looked shocked. "What? Why not?" Samantha tries to explain the mixed emotions going through her mind. "It's complicated. I opened my heart to him before, and look where that go me. Besides, just because a guy sends flowers to a woman doesn't mean he's interested." "Ha!" Yells Abby. "Of course it does!"

Samantha puts her head in her hands. "No. That can't be what it means." Abby comes to sit next to her on the couch. Grabbing her good arm, she makes her friend look at her. "Why won't you accept this for what it is? The man obviously has feelings for you. From what I can see, he knows he made a mistake in the past." Samantha doesn't answer…Just looks at her friend helplessly. Abby continues. "I think you have feelings for him too. So why won't you just admit it, and allow yourself to be happy?"

They sit next to each other in a comfortable silence. "I'm afraid Abby." Her friend just watches her. "I can take on a criminal any day. I even just survived in a terrorist camp…but I'm afraid. What if his feelings are just a result of what has happened the past few weeks? Some endorphin high." She looks to her friend again. With a tear running down her cheek she asks, "What if he changes his mind again?"

Abby draws her in for a hug. "Oh honey." After a minute she adds, "Call me crazy, but I'm not sure he ever changed his mind the first time. I've seen the way he looks at you. Even before you and Bishop were taken. From what little I've dragged out of him, he seems to have really enjoyed his time with you." Samantha pulls back to look at her friend. "You've talked to him about what happened?" Abby looks at her friend with a you can't be serious look. "It's me Sam. Of course I went looking for information." Samantha looks at her friend bewildered, and then just shakes her head. Of course her best friend would go searching for answers. She's an over protective scientist….She's an amazing friend…It's what she does.

They decide to order a pizza and watch a movie. Half way through the movie, Abby turns to look at her friend. "So what are you going to do?" Samantha sighs. "Abby…" She's cut off by the scientist. "Don't you Abby me. You deserve to be happy." She knows she isn't going to get anywhere with her friend tonight. She's still too afraid to admit that calling him would be good for her.

Once the movie is over, Abby gets up to leave. Before she leaves, she turns to her friend and says, "Sam, call him. Give him another chance." With that, she hugs her friend and leaves. Samantha looks at the flowers again, and heads to her bedroom.

As she lays in bed that night, she stares at the ceiling. She thinks about everything from their weekend together four years ago to the events of the past month. He may have hurt her in the past, but he risked everything to bring her home. He made it clear last night, his mission was to bring her home. Her safety was his top priority. Could she trust him, or would he break her heart again? With a huge sigh, she turns her light off and tries to get comfortable.

Sleep does not come easy that night.


	13. Chapter 13

Monday, the day of dread was finally here. Gibbs had sent her a message, saying her psych eval would be today at 9 am. She arrived at work at 8:00. This would give her time to sit at her desk, and just maybe get some paperwork done.

She hears the elevator ding, and off walks DiNozzo with two coffees in his hand. Handing one of the cups to her, he sees her smile. "Ah. There's no place like home. Thanks partner." DiNozzo smirks. "Good to have you back partner." With that, he walks to his desk to get ready for a long day of paperwork.

McGee is next to arrive. He walks off the elevator and smiles at the two. "Morning." He sits at his desk and powers up his computer. About ten minutes later, Bishop appears. Getting off the elevator, she does her best to smile at the team before saying, "Hey guys." They all say their good mornings as she sits down to get ready for the day.

Not long before 9:00 AM, Gibbs comes down the stairs from the Director's office. He places files on both McGee and DiNozzo's desks. They both sigh, but get to work without complaining. Turning to Bishop he says, "I'm sure you have a ton of e-mails to return" With that she smiles and gets to work. Finally, Gibbs turns to Martin. "Don't you have some where to be?" They have a slight stare down, as if trying to see whose will is stronger. Of course Gibbs will always win. "Yes boss. I'm on my way." She turns to leave, before stepping back for her coffee. She then heads to the conference room.

Standing in front of the door, she thinks, 'Let's get this over with.' She knocks, and an older woman opens the door. Stepping back the woman says, "Agent Martin I presume. I'm Lana Masterson." Martin gives a curt nod and stands there looking at the woman. "If you would like to grab a seat, then we can get started." Both women sit down, neither immediately saying anything. Martin looks around the room, while the shrink tries to analyze her. The woman finally says, "So why don't we start at the beginning? Tell me about what happened once you knew they had discovered Bishop's identity." Martin takes a deep breath, and starts talking.

After a good two hours of playing question and answer, and how did that make you feel, they were wrapping up their conversation. Ms. Masterson wrote a few more things down, and stood while addressing Martin. "I will give my recommendation to Gibbs and have my report to him this afternoon. You're free to go, unless there is anything else you would like to discuss." Martin shakes her hand, and says there are no other issues.

Unbeknownst to Martin, Johnson had shown up while she was being evaluated.

With the ding of the elevator, DiNozzo looks up. He smiles. "Well look who it is. Since you're here Johnson, why don't you grab a pile and get to work?" He holds up some files, wanting to give some of is work load to the other man. "Nice try DiNozzo. You forget, I don't work here. I've got my own paperwork to do for the all knowing CIA." DiNozzo puts the files down with a small pout. Johnson smiles, before turning his head towards Martin's desk. "She's having her head shrinked in the conference room," says DiNozzo. He must have stared a little to long. Johnson tries to act nonchalant, as he goes to sit at Martin's desk.

The others continue to work, while he waits for Martin to come back to the bull pin. Twenty minutes later, she comes walking down the stairs. He feels her eyes on him before he even sees her. He looks up, making eye contact with her. She continues to walk down the stairs, as he gets up to walk towards her. When they meet at the bottom of the stairs, he pulls her to the side, away from the prying eyes of the other agents.

"How are you doing?" She smiles, "I just spent two hours explaining my actions of the past month. It's a little disturbing to have the woman nod and scribble something down every time you say something." Johnson laughs. "I'm sure you did fine. You seem to be holding yourself together pretty good." She shrugs. A few dark thoughts or bad dreams here and there. I just want to get my badge and gun back by the end of the day. He nods. "I'll be going back to headquarters soon to finish my report and get things squared away. Let me know if you need anything." Before she can answer, Gibbs walks by. He glances at the two of them and smirks. As he walks away, he says, "Get back to work Martin." She looks down, and then turns to walk back to her desk. Johnson follows her to get all of his ducks in a row, and talks to Gibbs one more time before he leaves.

Martin sits back down at her desk. DiNozzo immediately speaks up. "No straight jacket. You must not be certifiable yet." Gibbs stops talking to Johnson long enough to say, "Can it DiNozzo." Martin smirks and DiNozzo sheepishly says, "Yes boss." McGee looks over with a smirk, and asks, "You good?" She smiles at him and nods. "I'm good."

A while later, Johnson has tied up all of his loose ends there at NCIS. He needs to get back to headquarters to file his report and debrief. He says goodbye to the team. Hoping he will see them again. It really all depends on how Martin feels. "See you around guys. Maybe I'll let you buy me a drink sometime." He turns to Martin with a meaningful look. After a moment, he turns to leave.

Later that day, it's Bishop's turn to meet with Ms. Masterson. She knows she isn't crazy, but is hesitant to relive the ordeal. She's already had nightmares. Isn't that enough? Martin sees her hesitate, and scoots her chair over to Bishop's desk. "Hey. Are you alright? It's really not that bad. Just tell her your version of what happened. She'll ask some questions and you'll be done." Bishop knows she's right. She smiles at Martin and says, "This is going to suck isn't?" Martin can't help but laugh. "Yeah…Yeah it is. Just remember, you get to go home after it's over." Bishop nods and heads for the stairs. 'Let's get this over with' she thinks.

Once she's in the conference room, DiNozzo looks at his partners. "You think she's going to be ok?" "Of course she will be," says Martin. "Just give her some time…and if she's not for some reason. We'll be there to pick up the pieces." McGee and DiNozzo nod their heads in agreement. They will get their probie through this.


	14. Chapter 14

A week later, the team is placed back on rotation. Everyone has been cleared to go back into the field, and the massive mound of paperwork had been completed. The only stipulation, is that Martin isn't allowed to tackle anyone because of her ribs. She guesses she can live with that…as long as the idiot doesn't try to take off. If the suspect runs, she isn't going to ask him to stop, so she can call for backup. She is going to go after the guy. Gibbs doesn't need to know that though…

They are all sitting at their desks, when Gibbs gets the call. "Gear up. Dead Petty Officer in a well." As the elevator doors close, Martin smirks. "Well there's something you don't hear every day." Gibbs faces forward, so no one sees his smirk.

When they get to the farm, the team heads for the police standing around the well. Looking down they see their petty office floating. "Looks like he's been here awhile," says McGee. They all stand there for a moment, until Gibbs barks out his orders. "McGee sketch. Martin pictures. DiNozzo, Bishop witnesses." This is a working farm, so there are plenty of farm hands to speak with. There is also the family that owns the farm, and an on call veterinarian. They will be busy for a while.

Ducky and Palmer show up a few minutes later. "This is indeed an interesting scenario," says Ducky, as he looks at the body. With the amount of time the body had been in the water, they need to devise a plan to safely pull the body out of the well. Palmer is sent into the well, to strap the body to a body board. Needless to say, he isn't too happy. Ducky says he will need to get the body back to the morgue, before he can give much information. He estimates time of death, to be between 6:00 and 9:00 pm the previous night. Ducky and a still grumbling Palmer leave, allowing the team to finish up.

After McGee and Martin are finished with their tasks, they are sent to help the other two with witnesses. About a hour later, they all head back to NCIS with a lead on a light blue pickup truck and a missing farm hand. Without being told, the team gets to work.

McGee starts looking into everyone's financials. This will take a while, as there were two farm owners, their four adult children, five farm hands, a veterinarian, and a dead petty officer. DiNozzo and Martin do background checks on all of the previously mentioned individuals. Bishop puts out a BOLO on the missing farm hand, a Hector Rodriguez. At the moment, he is their prime suspect. She and Gibbs then head to Petty Officer Jacobs apartment.

Upon the return of Bishop and Gibbs, the team does a complete run down of the information they have gathered. It was discovered that the missing farm hand had recently received a deposit of $5,000. None of the other farm hands received such a deposit. What made the situation even stranger, was the fact that the money was deposited from an account of one of the farm owner's sons. Martin and DiNozzo are sent to the home of Clint Peters to ask about the deposit of a such a large sum of money.

His wife, Cindy Peters, answers the door when the agents knock. She's an attractive blond, obviously in shape, and overly flirty. She leads them to the living room, and then goes in search of her husband. Mr. Peters appears a few minutes later. He is in stark contrast to his wife. He is an older man with salt and pepper hair, slightly over weight, and definitely not as friendly as his wife.

DiNozzo explains why they are there, and that they just have a few questions. Mr. Peters answers their questions, explaining that they had asked Mr. Rodriguez to do some side work for them. He even takes them into the back yard, where he shows them a huge deck with fire pit and built in brick oven. "Very impressive Mr. Peters. Thank you for your time and answering our questions." says Martin. Mr. Peters gives her a creepy smile and says, "Of course. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you."

The two agents are shown out and they head for the car. As they get in, Martin asks, "Anything seem weird about that to you?" "Yeah." laughs DiNozzo. "She was smoking hot. What is she doing with him?" Martin just looks at him and shakes her head. "I'll be glad when we find Hector Rodriguez. See what he has to say about Mr. Peters' amazing backyard."

Around 5:00 PM, Metro calls. They had gotten a hit on the BOLO Bishop had put out. Rodriguez had been pulled over for a broken tail light, and decided to run. Metro would be bringing him in within the hour. Gibbs sends his team to eat dinner while they wait for Mr. Rodriguez to be brought in. Martin calls down to the scientist to ask if she wants them to bring her back anything to eat. Abby simply said, "Just bring me something. You know what I like." Meanwhile, Gibbs leaves to see Abby and Ducky.

The team returns at 6:00 PM to find a Hector Rodriguez waiting in interrogation. McGee and DiNozzo go to question him, while Martin heads down to the lab. Abby turns smiling, when she sees Martin walk in caring a calf pow and bag of her favorite Chinese food. She throws her arms around Martin, and said, "You're the best." Martin smiles. "Tell me something I don't know Abs You got anything for us?" "Just gave it all to Gibbs. I found Cindy Peters fingerprints at Petty Officer Jacobs apartment. Obviously there was something going on there." Martin shakes her head. "Ah Mrs. Peters. She's quite interesting. Tony's eyes just about fell out of his head when she opened the door." Abby smirks. "Well here's something else interesting. I found both Mr. AND Mrs. Peters prints on the outside of Rodriguez's truck." Well Mr. Peters explained that Rodriguez had done some handy work for him. Could be nothing, but with these two it makes you wonder." Martin sits there a few minutes while Abby eats her dinner.

"Well I guess I better get back. Don't want Gibbs to come looking for me." Abby jumps up, grabbing Martin's arm. "Wait!" Martin turns to her with a raised eyebrow. "Have you talked to Johnson?" "Not this again Abby. It's been a busy week." "No." Abby shakes her head. "Don't do that. Don't look for a reason to avoid him. You need to call him, or I'm going to do it for you."

Martin sighs. "Not that I'm saying I am going to call him, but he hasn't called me either. Don't you think if he was interested, he would call?" Abby lightly smacks her on the back of the head. "Hey!" Martin protests. "Only Gibbs is allowed to do that." "I'm sorry Sam, but that was just dumb. He gave you his number AND sent you flowers. The ball is clearly in your court. You need to return it already." Martin knows she has a point, but isn't willing to admit it just yet. "We'll see how this case goes first." With that she turns and leaves the lab.

During their interrogation, McGee and DiNozzo learn some new information. Rodriguez had indeed done some work at the Peters' home. The $5,000 wasn't payment for services rendered though. It was hush money. As it turns out, Mrs. Peters knew how to use her feminine whiles on several men.

While Mr. Peters was at work, it seems Mrs. Peters had a revolving door of men entering the home. Rodriguez confirms, that Petty Officer Jacobs had been one of those men. He also notes, that there was a Petty Officer Ryan and a man named Kyle Richardson that often paid her a visit. Mr. Peters new his wife was having affairs. For whatever reason, instead of getting a divorce, he offered Rodriguez the money to not tell anyone what he saw.

Mr. Rodriguez also mentions a fight between Petty Officer Jacobs and Petty Office Ryan. The two petty officers saw each other outside of the Peters' house one night, and had gotten into an altercation. It seemed neither man was willing to share. Rodriguez heard Petty Officer Ryan threaten Petty Officer Jacobs. If he ever came near is woman again, there would be hell to pay. Jacobs had left that night, while Ryan had gone into the home to spend time with Mrs. Peters.

Rodriguez tried to clean up his tools and leave before being noticed. However, as he went to the leave, he was spotted by Ryan. The petty officer started yelling again. Demanding to know who Mr. Rodriguez was. Mrs. Peters was able to pull the petty officer away by rubbing his back and arms, and saying Rodriguez was just the hired help. Before Rodriguez left, he was shoved against the front door, and threatened with harm if he ever mentioned anything he saw that night. That was why he ran. He was afraid for himself and his family.

McGee and DiNozzo get up to leave interrogation, telling Rodriguez to stay put. As they close the door, DiNozzo smiles. "While the cats away, the mice with play."

They return to the bull pin to find information on Petty Officer Ryan and Kyle Richardson. Mr. Richardson had a pretty clean sheet…Arrested once as a juvenile for petty theft and a few speeding tickets. As it turns out, Petty Officer Ryan had a behavior problem. Before joining the navy, he had been arrested twice for assault and battery. As a petty officer, he had earned a formal reprimand for fighting with a fellow officer. "It seems not even the Navy can straighten out Petty Officer Ryan." says Bishop.

Gibbs orders a detail be placed on the petty officer for the night. It was already 8:30 PM on a Monday night. Hopefully it would be an easy watch for whoever had the petty officer that night.

Rodriguez is released, and told not to go far. They may need him for more questioning later. He states he is going home to his family. They will know where to find him if anything came up.

Gibbs sent his team home to get some sleep. They were to report back at 8:00 AM ready to work.


	15. Chapter 15

Tuesday morning, the team shows up on time, ready to work. Like with every case, DiNozzo brings Martin her coffee. She thanks him, and they get busy looking up the information they will need to pay a visit to Petty Officer Ryan.

Bishop calls his detail, to make sure the night before had gone smoothly. She also informs him, that the team will be paying the petty officer a visit later that day.

McGee looks up Petty Officer Ryan's financial information; looking for any significant deposits or withdraws. They are looking for any indication that the petty officer is into anything illegal. Meanwhile, DiNozzo speaks with Ryan's CO, and Martin visits Ducky in the morgue.

"Got anything new for us Ducky?" "Ah. My dear Samantha. Good morning." They both walk over to the body, and Ducky pulls back the sheet. "Yes. In fact I do. I found this indention in the skin of his left shoulder. It appears our petty officer was stabbed." Martin gets closer to look at what Ducky is showing her. "Do you know what he was stabbed with? Doesn't look like it went into the skin very far." "Very observant my dear. I can't be certain without having the object in front of me, but I would venture to say it was some sort of key." Martin looks up at him. "A set of keys?" Ducky shakes his head. "Your guess is as good as mine." "Thanks Ducky. I'll let the others know." With that, she goes back up to the bull pin.

Martin and DiNozzo share the information they have learned with the team. "Apparently, we are now in search of keys." Martin's partners look at her like she's crazy. "Petty Officer Jacobs was stabbed in his left shoulder. The wound wasn't deep, but the imprint left on the body is similar to a key." This would be like finding a needle in a hay stack.

DiNozzo informs them, that while Petty Officer Ryan is a good officer, he has anger issues. He often raises his voice and gets angry when things don't go his way. This information, along with the information from Rodriguez last night, and his arrest record is more than enough for them to consider Ryan a suspect.

The team eats an early lunch, before going to pay Ryan a visit. They all get into two cars. DiNozzo, Martin, and Gibbs in one, and McGee and Bishop in the other. Thanks to the detail that had been placed on him, they knew Petty Officer Ryan had left work early. The plan is to drive to his home and bring him in. As it turns out, that would be easier said than done.

Pulling up to the house, the team glances around. They want to seal off all visible exits. Gibbs gets out of the car, to speak with the detail hidden back by a tree. The detail tells him that Petty Officer Ryan left for work this morning at 7:30 AM and returned home at 11:00 AM. Ryan went into his home, and hasn't left since. Gibbs thanks the detail, and tells him he is free to leave.

Once he is gone, the team checks their weapons before setting up around the home. McGee is sent to check out the detached garage. If Ryan runs that way, it will be his job to stop him, before he leaves the home. Martin goes around to the back of the house. They don't want him running out the back door. Bishop is placed at the front of the house. Looking through the windows on the front porch, DiNozzo and Gibbs prepare to enter the home.

On Gibbs signal, DiNozzo knocks on the door. "Petty Officer Ryan. NCIS. We need to speak with you." They immediately hear rushing around inside. DiNozzo kicks the door in, and the two agents go in. For a moment, all is calm. DiNozzo and Gibbs have cleared the first floor. They are headed up the stairs, when they see Ryan dart across the hall into another room. "NCIS freeze," yells Gibbs. The two carefully climb the stairs.

They open the door to where they saw Ryan run. Unfortunately, he isn't in clear view. Gibbs checks under the bed, while DiNozzo holds his position. They check the bedroom closet. Still nothing. DiNozzo walks to the window and looks down. He hadn't jumped. "Where the hell is he?" asks DiNozzo. Gibbs looks around the room. There had to be another way out. Suddenly, he sees something on the bookshelf. He moves a section of books, and the entire bookshelf moves to show a hidden wall.

Gibbs radios the others, telling them there was a hidden section to the house. Martin and Bishop are told to hold their positions. McGee is to get to the house. Gibbs and DiNozzo follow the hidden stairs. Of course the area had to be dark. There is only one light at the bottom of the stairs. DiNozzo has just reached the bottom when Ryan rushes at him. Ryan punches DiNozzo in the face, before he is able to react. He gets one good punch in himself, before Ryan throws his hands up and steps away. Gibbs and DiNozzo both have their guns pointed at Ryan. Just as they are about to cuff him, Ryan runs out a back door. It had been hidden in the darkness of the room.

Ryan rushes past Martin; slamming into her shoulder. She steps backward and hisses. He never stops, just takes off running towards the woods. "Well shit." says Martin. She takes one more look back at the house before taking off after Ryan. While running, she radios to the others that Ryan was out of the house and headed for the woods. Everyone takes off after him. Martin has a head start on the others, and knows what she has to do. Despite the pain in her ribs, she picks up her speed. She sees Ryan with his back to her. He has slowed down, bending over to catch his breath. She is able to rush at him, successfully knocking him to the ground.

Unfortunately, she goes down with him. Ryan puts up a good fight. Rolling around on the ground, he manages to get on top of her. He takes one good swing, punching her in the face. 'That's going to leave a mark,' she thinks. She then uses both of her legs to get out from underneath him. With her ribs though, she doesn't have enough strength to completely flip them, so that she is on top.

After a moment, he is about to swing again, when out of nowhere DiNozzo rips him up, and throws him to the ground. Gibbs, McGee, and Bishop are all there with their guns trained on Ryan. The situation had been contained, but DiNozzo takes the opportunity to slug Ryan in the face. He goes to do it again, when Gibbs yells his name. "DiNozzo! We need him alive." DiNozzo stops. He looks at his partner still on the ground, and then back to Ryan. He gives him one good shove before he lets the others take over.

Gibbs holsters his gun and steps forward to arrest the petty officer. Ryan is yelling, "Did you see what he did? I want to file a report!" Pulling him up, Gibbs says, "I didn't see anything." Looking at his team he asks, "Did you?" They all shake their heads no.

They escort the petty officer to the car to take him back to NCIS. Gibbs and DiNozzo ride together with a belligerent Ryan in the back seat. Bishop and McGee ride in the front seats of the second charger, while Martin holds her ribs in the back seat, refusing to go to the hospital.

When they return to NCIS, Gibbs begins barking out orders. McGee is to go inform Abby of what happened. Make sure she knows evidence will be coming in soon. Bishop is told to take Martin down to see Ducky. At least he can check and tape her ribs. DiNozzo and Gibbs will deal with interrogating Petty Officer Ryan.

When Martin and Bishop make it to the morgue, Ducky and Palmer look up to see them walking in. "Oh dear Samantha. What happened?" Both men stop what they are doing to help her onto a table. Martin looks up, and simply says, "He ran." Bishop snorts. "She chased after him and tackled him to the ground." "Tisk tisk" said Ducky. "You know you aren't supposed to aggravate your ribs. I'll gladly tape them, but I'm afraid you're going to be soar for a while."

As he goes to get the materials needed, Abby comes bursting through the doors. "Oh my God. Are you ok?" "Abby calm down. I just hurt my ribs again. It's not a big deal." "Not a big deal?" Abby smacks her on the back of the head. Martin looks outraged at her friend. "Seriously? What have I said about doing that?" Abby looks just as outraged. "Something could have really happened. You could have been seriously hurt. What part of don't tackle people didn't you understand?" Martin says, "Calm down mom."

She then looks up at her friend, and sees a tear in her eye. Martin sighs. "Abby I'm fine. I promise." They all stand there a minute. Nobody talking. Finally, Bishop breaks the tension. "You should see the other guy." Everyone laughs….even Ducky chuckles a little. Martin grabs her ribs. "Bishop stop. Don't make me laugh." She gives a half hearted sorry, and heads back up to the bull pin.

Abby takes the opportunity to harass her friend about her love life. "Do you think you should call him now?" Martin just gives her a look. "Ducky. Palmer. Do you think you could give us a minute?" The two men look back and forth between the women. Neither say anything as they exit the room. "Sam. He said call for anything. You need help now, and I'm sure you haven't talked to him since you closed the case." Martin looks down. She doesn't look back up, until she feels a phone being placed in her hands. "Call him Martin…or I will." With that, she walks away.

Martin stares after her. Should she do it? She definitely misses him. She looks at the phone, and finds his number. Her finger halts over the send button, before she finally calls.

Abby who has been watching through the door, smiles and turns to tell the guys to give her a minute.


	16. Chapter 16

Johnson answers his phone on the second ring. "Johnson." 'Even the sound of his voice is amazing' thinks Martin. She snaps out of it quickly when she realizes she hasn't said anything. "Hey. It's me." she says. He immediately hears the tension in her voice. He stops walking and asks, "Sam what's wrong?" "I ummm…well remember when you said I could call for anything? Well I guess I'm cashing in on that." She hesitates for a moment, and says, "I need you Jeremy." He is taken back by what she just said. "Where are you?" She is thankful he didn't turn her down. "Well…currently I'm in the morgue at NCIS." I'm on my way." he says, and then hangs up.

He goes to tell his boss he needs to leave. Maybe it's the look in his eyes, but his boss simply says ok.

Meanwhile, Martin just sits on the table in the morgue looking at the phone. He's actually coming. Just like that. She is amazed it had been that easy. Ducky and Palmer walk back into the morgue.

"Alright my dear. Let's get you fixed up." She lifts up her shirt to expose new bruising on top of what was already there. Ducky examines the bruising before taping up her ribs. He doesn't say anything as he works.

A few minutes later, Gibbs comes storming through the doors. 'Here we go' she thinks. He just looks at her for a moment. "What part of don't tackle didn't you understand?" "Gibbs, I had to. I didn't want him to get away." "We were on our way. We were close enough to see him take a swing at you." he says as he grabs a hold of her chin to look at her bruised cheek. She takes in as much of a breath as she can, and says, "In the same scenario, I would do it again." Gibbs gives her his most steely look. After a moment he says, "DiNozzo is finishing up with Ryan. He confessed to murdering Petty Officer Jacobs in a jealous rage. He's going away for a long time." "Good" says Martin with a smile. "Now go home and get some rest…and for God's sake stop tackling people." "Yes dad." she says, as he walks out the door. He smirks and continues to the elevator.

While Gibbs is talking to Martin in the morgue, Johnson arrives upstairs in the bull pin. McGee looks up, surprised to see Johnson there. "Martin called." he simply says. McGee looks even more surprised at this information. Johnson laughs a little. "I know, right?" Bishop pipes up, and tells him Martin is still in the morgue. He nods and starts to head that way, when he hears DiNozzo. "Johnson! Hey man what are you doing here?" The two men shake hands. Johnson notices the shiner on DiNozzo's face. "Martin called….Did something happen?" DiNozzo smiles. 'It's about time, he thinks.' "Had a little run in while bringing in a suspect." He sees the worry in the man's eyes. "She's fine man…Well she will be if she listens to the doctors orders."

The two men head to the morgue. McGee looks over to Bishop. "She called him?" Bishop smiled. "Yep. About time too." McGee shakes his head and goes back to work. They are going to make sure this guy never goes free.

Ducky is just finishing with the tape, when the two men enter the morgue. "Look who I found wondering around." Martin and Ducky both look up. For a moment, Martin and Johnson just look at each other. Sensing the need for some privacy, Ducky pats her knee and says, "All done. Now try to listen this time." She turns to look at him with a smile. "If they would learn to quit running, I wouldn't have to go after them." Ducky smiles and shakes his head. "Come along Palmer. Let's go pay dear Abby a visit." Palmer looks up, "Oh! Do we have something for her?" Ducky looks at him bewildered, and says, "Come along man."

They leave the room, with Ducky patting DiNozzo on the shoulder. DiNozzo watches the two for a moment, before asking, "You good?" Martin smirks and says, "I'm fine." He looks at the pair again. "Ok. Well I'm ugh going to go see a man about a horse." With that he heads off to find Abby.

Johnson stares at her for what seems like forever. She knows he is assessing her. Looking at the bruise on her left cheek. Seeing the fresh tape covering her ribs yet again….Finally he steps towards her. She quickly pulls her sweater back down. He's seen it all before, but there's no need to have it right there in his face.

"Are you alright?" "I'm f…" she starts to say. With a look he stops her. "Are you alright?" She hangs her head. "Hurts a little. I've got new bruises on top of old ones." He softly grabs her chin, and makes her look up at him. He evaluates the mark on her face much like Gibbs had done earlier. Something about his touch was a little more tender though. She sees the concern in his eyes and says, "You should see the other guy." Johnson smirks, letting go of her face. Martin starts to laugh, but then groans in pain. "Serves you right" he says as he looks at her. She looks at him with her eyes narrowed. "A little sympathy would be great."

He takes a step closer to her. Now he is standing between her legs. All he has to do is lean in the slightest and he would be able to kiss her. His hands resisting the urge to touch her. The smile on Martin's face disappears, as she takes in the seriousness of the moment. She thinks he is going to kiss her. This thought sends her heart rate soaring. Instead, he says, "I'm glad you're alright." He then takes a few steps away from her. The shock of the moment still evident on her face. He really wants to kiss her. He will wait though. He doesn't want their first kiss…well first this time around to be in the morgue. He can do better than that.

She breaks him out of his thoughts. "Jeremy. I ugh…Could you give me a ride home? I guess I'm not supposed to drive for a few days." She looks at him sheepishly, likes she's embarrassed to ask. "Of course." He glances at his watch, and notices it's almost 5:00 PM. "Maybe we could even stop to get some food along the way. We'll get take out and go back to your place." She nods, and tries to get down from the table. Johnson sees her struggle, and rushes to her side. The heat that surges through them both, when she grabs his arm is electrifying.

Pulling themselves apart, the two walk out of the morgue, with him directly by her side. She stops just short of the elevator, and tells him she needs to see Abby first. They walk towards the scientists lab, seeing Ducky and Palmer still in there. When they enter, Abby runs to her. Martin braces for impact, but Johnson jumps in front of her. "She bruised her ribs again." For a moment, Abby looks offended. Then she immediately bursts into a huge smile. She loves how protective Johnson is being.

Martin clears her throat. "Sorry Ducky, Palmer. You can have your morgue back now." Ducky gets up. "Ah yes. Well if you need anything else, just let us know." He turns to Palmer. "Come along Palmer. Let's go…do something." Once they leave, Abby turns to Martin. "I'm so glad you're ok. Tony said Ryan was on top of you when they got there. He had to throw the guy off of you."

Out of the corner of her eye, Martin sees Johnson flex his hand and make a fist. "Well did he also tell you, that he had gotten his shiner by then? That if it wasn't for me giving chase, the guy would have been long gone?" Abby put her hands up as a form of surrender. "Calm down tiger." She joked. "Why not let Tony have this one?" "Ha! Fat chance." With that Abby gave Martin a soft hug. Turning to Johnson she says, "Take her home and make her feel better." She smirked knowing the innuendo was there. Johnson doesn't miss a beat, and says, "I intend to." Martin just turns and start walking out of the lab. "Come on Johnson." Once they are gone, Abby squeals and claps her hands together. 'This is finally happening' she thinks.

The elevator is filled with a comfortable silence. They stop on their way out to see her partners. She tells them she is fine and grabs her things to leave. Gibbs stops her before she can get to the elevator. "You might as well wear something comfortable tomorrow. You're on desk duty for at least the next three days." "Oh come on." She starts to protest. Gibbs cuts her off. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of paperwork to keep you busy." She looks at him with a pout. He simply smirks and walks away.

They get on the elevator to head down to the garage. Martin looks over to see Johnson smirk. "Wipe that smirk off your face sir." He chuckles and smiles even bigger. She just looks straight ahead with a smirk of her own. There's nothing else she can do.


	17. Chapter 17

**Three Chapters in one week! Perhaps my writers block is gone...Finally, some of what we've all been waiting for. :)**

Once they get to the garage, he walks around to the passenger side of his car to help Samantha get in. He then closes the door and goes around to the drivers side. Starting the engine he asks, "Where too?" She leans her head back against the seat, and tells him to just go somewhere good. He pulls out of the parking space, and heads to a little hole in the wall place called Farmer Joes Market. He tells her to stay in the car, as he goes in to place their orders. She doesn't even know what they have, but Johnson tells her that he knows exactly what to get her.

Ten minutes later, he comes walking out with a bag of food and two chocolate shakes. After getting situated, they head to her apartment.

Once in her parking space…he could use it, as her car was left at NCIS…he goes around and helps her out of the car. Leaning down, he picks up the food and closes the door. They walk into her building and to the elevator. Moving ever slowly, she makes it to her front door. Pulling out the key, she opens it to allow them both in.

She immediately goes to put her gun in the safe, while Johnson puts the food down and closes the front door. She goes to the fridge, to grab them both a bottle of water, and then heads for the couch. Johnson is there pulling out the food. She opens the wrapping of her sandwich to reveal a double burger with ketchup, mustard, and pickle. She looks up when he hands her a container of fries. "Did I get it right?" he asks. She smiles at him "Yeah. You did." With that, they start eating in a comfortable silence.

Finally, he asks her what happened that day. He knows she can't go into specifics. He really just wants to know if he needs to find this Ryan guy, and have a little chat with him. "We had been investigating how a petty officer had died. Turns out, he was just one of several men having an affair with a married woman. After looking at all the evidence and questioning those involved, we came across our suspect. He had a history of violence and fit the MO. The team went to pick him up, and he took off. The rest as they say is history." She takes another bite of her burger, while Johnson mulls that over.

"So why did YOU take chase?" She looks at him. "Did you miss the part where I said he took off?" Johnson sighs. "I heard you, but why did you have to be the one to take him down?" It was Martin's turn to sigh. "I was at the back of the house. He ran out of the house, and nearly knocked me down. He was getting away, and I was the closest agent. I had to do something. I took off after him. I saw my chance, when he slowed down. I jumped on him from behind and we had a little struggle. I didn't have all my strength back, but was able to hold my own. That's when the rest of the team showed up."

Johnson didn't say anything. Martin couldn't take the silence. "Jeremy I'm fine. I did what needed to be done." "Says the girl with severely bruised ribs and a bruised cheek." She didn't know what to say to that. He was being extremely over protective. This both excited and scared her at the same time. Standing up, she says, "I'm going to wash my face and change clothes. I'll be back in a minute." Had she looked back at him, she would have see his eyes following her down the hallway. She would have seen the longing in his eyes.

Martin washes her face to get rid of makeup and goes to change her clothes. She manages to take her dress pants off and put some yoga pants on. The sweater…well that was a problem. As she continuously tries to pull the sweater over her head, her ribs scream in protest. She sits down on the bed trying to catch her breath. What in the world is she going to do? Maybe she can cut the stupid thing off. Then her mind goes to Jeremy, who is just in the other room. Could she ask him for help? That's probably not a good idea she thinks. Sitting on the bed, she is about to go looking for scissors when she hears his voice. "You ok in there?" He is coming down the hallway.

She slowly stands and opens the door. Shyly stepping out into the hallway she looks at him. He watches her, as she blushes and lookes down. "I ummm….well you see…" She let out a frustrated sigh. "I can't get my sweater off." There, she said it. He looks at her for a moment, and then begins to step closer to her. When he is right in front of her, he stops. "Put your arms up." With the blush still on her cheeks, she lifts them as high as she can. He makes quick work of pulling her sweater off. She slowly puts her arms down, and goes to thank him for his help.

Before she knows what is happening, he has leaned forward, sweater still in hand, and kisses her. She freezes for just a split second before returning the kiss. She wants to put her arms around his neck, but she can't get them up that high without feeling pain. She settles for putting them on his chest. He drops the sweater on the floor, and lightly pushes her up against the wall. Deepening the kiss, he puts one of his hands in the crevice of her neck, and uses the other to brace himself against the wall. He parts her lips with his tongue, pushing his way in. She immediately surrenders, allowing him entrance. After a while, the need for oxygen takes over.

They break apart and just look at each other. Her eyes have darkened, and their is a fire in his eyes that she hasn't seen in a long time. She leans forward again. This time taking the kiss slower. He returns the kiss with a slow burning passion. He can't help himself. He starts kissing her neck, leaving a trail down to her shoulder. He hears her intake of breath, but is powerless to stop. He leaves his lips on her shoulder for a moment, before kissing back up her neck. He wants to do more…to be with her. Now isn't the time though. She had just gotten hurt on the job. With all the strength he has, he pulls away. She looks at him confused, wondering if she has done something wrong. He cups her face with his hand and says, "When you're better."

Her blush returns and he takes a step back. Immediately, they both miss the contact. He bends down and picks up her sweater off the floor. Handing it to her, she returns to her bedroom.

A minute later, she comes back out wearing a button up shirt. She buttons it up, as they walk back to the living room. They sit on the couch together and finish their meals in silence. Once everything is cleaned up, Jeremy turns to her. "Do you want me to go?" 'Please say no' he silently begs. Samantha looks at him and says "Please stay." He smiles, and sits back on the couch. Grabbing the remote he surfs the channels trying to find something to watch. Samantha does her best to snuggle into him. It hurts her ribs to a point, but she's not willing to stop. Jeremy places it on a movie, and leans back on the couch. Both of them trying to get comfortable.

Half way through the movie, Samantha gets a text. She struggles to sit up, so he helps her into the sitting position. He turns to her, when she laughs. She carefully leans back into him and shows him the text. It's a text from Abby. 'How's it going? Did he bring you home? Is he still there?' He laughs and grabs her phone. He responds to the text for her. 'I'm still here Abby. She'll talk to you tomorrow.' He puts the phone down, and she groans. "I'm not going to get any work done tomorrow." Jeremy can only laugh. He knows the scientist is going to be bugging her for details all day.

That's fine with him though. As long as he can have her for tonight.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning, Martin can't help but wake up with a smile on her face. She does her best to get ready for work; putting on a pair of black dress pants and a button up shirt. She only has two button up shirts. This is going to get old quick. As she brushes her hair, she thinks maybe Bishop or Abby can put it in a bun for her later.

As she's fixing a quick breakfast she gets a text. Checking her phone, she sees it's from Johnson. 'Just wanted to say good morning, and remind you not to tackle anyone today.' She smiles and responds to his text. 'Haha! You know I'm on desk duty for all eternity. Have a good day.'

She eats her breakfast, and heads out to hail a cab for work. Between her mountain of paperwork and Abby's interrogation, it will make for a long day.

When she arrives at work, it is no surprise to see Abby waiting on her. She slowly walks to her desk, and gingerly takes a seat. Reaching over to turn on her computer, she glances over to the mountain of paperwork sitting on the corner of her desk. "Ugh! This should be fun." she says.

Right at that moment, the elevator dings, and out walks a smiling DiNozzo. "Have no fear. Your coffee is here." Martin grabs the cup as soon as it is offered. "You're amazing DiNozzo!" He smirks and stops long enough to say, "So I've been told" before going to sit down at his desk. Martin and Abby roll their eyes. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's the occasion? You usually save the coffee for when we have a case." He looks at her. "What? Maybe I'm just that good of a partner." He sees the doubtful look she's giving him. "Alright. I felt bad about you getting hurt again." Martin simply smiles. "Well thanks partner."

They both turn back to their computer to get to work. She's purposely ignoring her friend. As if on cue, Abby says, "Hello I'm still here." Martin can't help but laugh. "Oh good morning Abby." The scientist looks like she could strangle her friend. Martin smiles and says, "Oh, did you want to…." Abby jumps up. "Yes! Now." She is heading for the elevator before Martin can say anything else. Martin turns to her partner and says, "If anything happens, I'll be in the lab." As she heads for the elevator, DiNozzo gives her a scrutinizing look. The two women get on the elevator and head to the scientists lab. Once there, the scientist immediately closes the door. She really wants to lock the door, to make sure they aren't interrupted. She knows Gibbs rules though….never be unreachable.

Turning back to Martin she says, "So! Start at the beginning."

Martin sighs. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to kiss and tell?" Abby claps her hands together. "Oh! So there was kissing." Only then does Martin realize her mistake. Putting her hands up in a type of surrender she begins the story.

"Once we left here, we stopped for some take out. He got us dinner and we went back to my place. After eating and talking for a while, I could feel the tension. I didn't know what to do or say, so I got up to change clothes and wash my face." Martin stops to take a deep breath before going on. "I got some yoga pants on, but realized I couldn't get my sweater off. I was just about to cut the stupid thing off when he came walking down the hall, asking if I was ok. I didn't really want to cut the sweater….it's one of my favorites. I asked for his help, and he helped me pull it over my head." By this time, Abby is already starting to hyperventilate.

"Once it was off, he leaned forward and kissed me. For a moment, I froze, but then I joined in. Abby couldn't contain herself. "Yay! Yay! Yay!" Martin blushes and then says, "I had forgotten what a good kisser he was." They both sit there for a moment, taking in everything that had been said. Out of nowhere, Abby says, "So then what happened." Martin blushes yet again. "Not what you're thinking. I'm all busted up Abbs. After some kissing, we sat together on the couch and watched a movie. That's about the time you text me."

Abby is still extremely happy. Her friend had taken a chance, and put herself out there. "So….did he stay the night?" Martin shook her head. "He stayed until about 11:00 PM. We stayed together on the couch…talking and just being together. He explained that he wishes things had been different four years ago. What happened was not from a lack of feelings. He helped me to see how difficult it would have been for us. I would never want him to lose his job because of me. Not to mention the other cadets would have caused a huge problem. I knew what he was saying was true…even back then. It just hurt so much, because I really liked him. Last night when he left, he kissed me again, and told me to call if I needed anything. I think…we're going to try to be together and take it really slow…"

Abby threw her arms around her friend. "I'm so excited for you. I knew from day one that there was something special going on." Martin smiled. "Yeah. Well don't go picking out china patterns just yet. We haven't even been on an actual date." "Ha!" said Abby. "I'm pretty sure you're already past that." Martin tries to change the subject. "So Abby, you think you can put my hair up? I feel so helpless." "Of course!" Abby gets to work on fixing Martin's hair. She is just finishing up when Gibbs walks in. "You two done playing beauty shop?" Martin says, "Yes boss." As she's pulling herself up out of the chair, Abby says, "Oh come on Gibbs." He shakes his head and turns to Martin, "There's some paperwork with your name on it upstairs." "On it boss," says Martin and heads for the elevator.

She texts Johnson on her way back to the bull pin. 'Just got drilled about my extra curricular activities. You so owe me.' As she sits back down at her desk, she gets his reply 'Ha! I think I can live with that.' She smiles and gets back to work.

Luckily, the team is not on call this weekend. They had managed to go the rest of the week, without catching a case. Martin is enjoying the relaxing weekend, but after three days of desk duty, she is looking for some action. Tonight would be her chance.

Johnson had stopped by after work Thursday night. He had come by under the pretense of checking on her. Once there though, they ordered pizza and sat together on the couch. As he was leaving, he kissed her long and hard. Martin was still trying to recover when he asked her out on their first official date. "I know it's short notice, but have dinner with me Saturday. I want to do this the right way." Martin had simply nodded her head like an idiot. He smiled at her, and said he would pick her up at 6:30 PM. With that, he left and she hadn't seen him since.

Saturday afternoon comes, and Martin finds herself standing in front of her closet just starting. 'What am I supposed to wear' she wonders. She throws several choices on the bed, and looks at each one. The first, is a pair of skinny jeans with a tan top. She can always wear her brown knee high boots and jean jacket with it. 'That might not be dressy enough' she thinks. The second outfit is black pants and a solid purple top with short sleeves. It's alright, but not exactly what she's looking for. Finally, she looks over to the tight lacy black dress. It's also short sleeves, but she can easily take a wrap or jacket. For a moment, Martin thinks about texting the choices to Abby. She knows what her friend will choose though. 'Black dress it is' she says putting the others back in the closet.

She takes a long hot shower to relax both her ribs and her mind. She can't help but be a little nervous. She had spent all weekend with the guy…doing things she probably couldn't mention without blushing. Yet here she is with hundreds of thoughts running through her mind, all the while wondering what will come of this. After drying off, she slips on a robe, and sits down on her bed. 'This is ridiculous. I've got to pull myself together.' After a brief pep talk, she gets up to do her hair and make up.

What she doesn't know, is Johnson is across town, doing the same thing. He is just as nervous as she is. For some reason, which he hasn't quite figured out yet, this date is extremely important to him. He just wants everything to go well, so that Sam might be willing to give him another chance. He can't mess this up.


	19. Chapter 19

Promptly at 6:30 PM, Samantha hears a knock at the door. Taking a deep breath, she walks across the room to open the door. When she does, Jeremy is left standing there wide eyed and speechless. Samantha is there in a knee length tight black dress. It's got lacy material for a top layer, but a solid black layer underneath as to not reveal what's hiding under the dress. A small black belt around her waste, shows him that she still has the curves from four years ago. Her hair is half up, with light brown curls cascading down her back. Taking in her entire look, he notices she is wearing black strappy sandals that have a heal.

He suddenly realizes he has been staring at her, and goes to say something. Luckily, she seems to be in the same trance looking at him. He's wearing a pair of black dress pants and a long sleeve white dress shirt and tie. It's a simple look, but Samantha can't help but notice how the muscles of his arms look so pronounced.

She's brought out of her trance, by his voice. "You look….Wow…" She smiles at him, and steps aside so he can enter her apartment. Shutting the door, she smoothes a hand down her dress self consciously. "So this is ok?" she asks. He doesn't answer her with words. Jeremy takes a few steps towards her, and places a hand on her hip. Looking in her eyes for a moment, he leans down to give her a slow tender kiss. Pulling back, he looks into her eyes again. "Amazing" he says. She traces a finger down his chest, stopping right at the top of his dress pants. "You don't look so bad yourself." Smiling, she says, "You clean up nice."

They stand there, just starting at each other. Jeremy realizes they better leave. 'If I don't get her to the restaurant now, we aren't going to be leaving this apartment.' Clearing his throat and taking a step back, he says "We should get going." She grabs her black clutch, and they head for the door.

Pulling up to the restaurant, Samantha sees the sign that says Adagio in fancy cursive writing. She smiles and says, "I've always wanted to come here. Tony says the wait list is insane and it's impossible to get a table." Jeremy comes around to open her door. Leaning in to her, he whispers in her ear. "I've got connections." Smirking at her intake of breath, he turns to give the valet his keys. As they walk into the restaurant, Jeremy can't help but notice the other men looking at Samantha. Possessively, he puts his hand on the small of her back. He wants everyone to know, that she is here with him.

Suddenly, they hear "Ah Mr. Johnson welcome. Your table will be ready shortly." Samantha turns to Jeremy with a raised eyebrow. "Impressive." She then turns her head to look around. A few moments later, the hostess takes them to their seats. Jeremy waits for her to sit and then scoots her chair in before taking his seat. A waiter immediately comes over, and offers a bottle of wine. Jeremy glances at Samantha to make sure it's ok. She smiles and nods, letting him know it's ok to drink. She's not on call this weekend, and no longer taking any pain medication. The waiter pours them a glass and walks away to give them time to look at the menu.

Samantha looks over the menu a moment. "So Mr. Johnson what's good." He looks up at her, knowing she is trying to bait him. He looks her in the eye and says, "I like the salmon. I'm not sure what the women like. I've never asked anyone at the other tables." There. He's told her he has never brought another woman here before. This will be their special place. She smiles at him. "I think I'll try the salmon too." The waiter comes back to the table to take their order. Jeremy orders for both of them, "We'll both take the salmon…and if you don't mind, go ahead and leave the bottle on the table." The waiter nods his head and walks away to give their order to the kitchen.

Samantha and Jeremy made small talk as they wait for their food to arrive. "How are the ribs?" "They're better. Still lightly bruised, but I don't need to tape them anymore." "I'm glad" he says. "When you called me, I didn't know what to think. I just had to make sure you were ok." Samantha looks down at her drink slightly embarrassed. Finally, she looks up. "Thank you for coming to my rescue…yet again." Jeremy reaches across the table to grab her hand. "Of course. I'm just glad I can be here for you." Samantha blushes. "It's amazing really. I've been injured more in the past month, than I have in four years." He smiles. "Yeah. Hopefully you've had your fun. Now it's time to knock it off." Samantha laughs. "You trained me better than that, right?" Jeremy doesn't say anything…just rubs his thumb over her hand.

She looks up at him. "So ugh. Are you going to stay with the CIA, or are you going to go back to Quantico?" He looks at her for a moment, wondering what she would like best. "Well" he drawls out. "I've already been reinstated. Somehow, I managed to keep my clearance. I figure I might as well stay where I'm at." For a moment, she doesn't say anything. Finally, she smiles and says, "Well, you're obviously good at what you do. Just be careful." Noting her concern, he smiles at her. They see the waiter bringing their food to the table, and pull away from each other. They continue to talk as they eat. Nothing overly important is discussed, but they are both happy, and that is all that matters.

After dinner, the valet goes to get Jeremy's car. Ever the gentlemen, he opens her door and closes it once she gets in the car. While driving, he decides he's not ready to take her home yet. "Do you mind if I take you somewhere else?" "Of course not. What did you have in mind?" He smiles at her and simply says, "You'll see." A while later, he pulls into the parking lot of a park. Samantha looks over at him. "I'm not exactly wearing the best outfit to play in." Jeremy smirks, but doesn't say anything. He gets out of the car, and goes around to help her out. It's a warm night, so they go for a walk on one of the trails.

For a few moments, they walk in silence. "So" Jeremy says. "Tell me something about yourself I don't already know." Samantha looks at him. "Wow. Ok. Ummm…I love horses. When I was little, my mom used to take me to a local horse farm. We didn't have money for me to own a horse, but my mom made a deal with the owners. I would help feed the horses, clean the stalls….do the dirty work, and they would let me ride the horses for a few hours each week." He smiled, picturing a little Sam running around a farm. "I can see it now" he joked. "You running around in cowboy boots and hat. The wind blowing through your hair as you ride." "Ha!" She says. "It's not as romantic as you make it out to be. I did manual labor. At the end of the day, I smelt like farm animals and horse manure." Jeremy snorts. "I didn't care though. I got to ride a horse. It was totally worth it." As Jeremy is laughing, she gets a boost of confidence. She puts her arm through his, and pulls him closer to her. Surprised, he looks over at her. She smiles and shrugs sheepishly. He rubs her arm with his other hand, and they continue walking.

Not willing to allow too much silence, Samantha turns to him. "Now it's your turn. Tell me something I don't already know." He thinks for a moment. "When I was 8 years old. My brother convinced me if I wore my superman cape, I could fly. That summer, I climbed the tallest tree I could find. Turns out, he was wrong. Broke my arm and spent all summer in a cast." "Oh that's horrible" Samantha says. "Tell me about it. My friends got to hang out at the pool. I had to play towel boy." Samantha tries to stifle a laugh. "Go ahead. Laugh it up. At least I didn't go around smelling like horse manure." She pulls away and punches him in the arm. He grabs his arm in mock hurt. He sees the playground coming up and gets an idea. Standing in front of her, he starts to walk backwards, to where the swings are.

"Come on." he says. "What? No. This dress is not made for a playground." 'That's definitely not a little girls dress. That's for sure.' he thinks. Pushing the thought aside, he asks, "Where's your sense of adventure?" Grabbing her hand, he pulls her towards the swings. Once they get there, he tells her to sit in the swing. She gives him a 'you can't be serious look.' "Sit." he says. With a sigh, she sits down in the swing. He stands behind her, and lightly pushes her. After a while, Samantha begins to relax. He joins her on one of the other swings. They laugh and swing for a while longer. Finally, they decide it's time to move on. Getting off the swings, Jeremy grabs her hand as they walk to the car. In the car, Samantha stares out the window as Jeremy drives back to her apartment.

At her apartment, he parks and walks around to help her out of the car. As they walk into the building, he allows his hand to rest on her lower back. He doesn't remove his hand until they reach her apartment door. Unlocking the door, Samantha turns to look at him. "Do you want to come in?" He hesitates for a moment. He knows it's late, but he doesn't want to walk away. "Sure. Maybe for a few minutes." They enter the apartment, and she closes and locks the door. Heading to the kitchen, she starts a pot of coffee, and says, "I need to get these shoes off." Samantha goes to her bedroom and puts her shoes in the closet. On the way back out of the bedroom, she checks her appearance in the mirror. 'Not too bad' she thinks.

Walking back out she sees him standing in the kitchen. She walks to him, and they stand in silence. Samantha decides to brake the silence. "Thanks for tonight. I can't believe you got into Adagio. I'm definitely going to rub that in Tony's face." Jeremy chuckles and shakes his head. "And the swing set," she continues. "I was afraid I would end up flashing you, but that was so much fun." Jeremy walks across the kitchen to stand in front of her.

He reaches his hand up to caress her cheek. Without intending to, she leans into his touch. Looking at each other, neither is sure who leans in first. The kiss is slow and tender, not as urgent as their first kiss in her apartment. The need for air takes over and they pull apart. Blushing a little, Samantha pulls away and leans against the counter. Jeremy stays where he is, and loosens his tie and undoes the top button of his shirt. "I'm glad you had a good night." The coffee pot shuts off, and Samantha steps to the other side of the kitchen to make them both a cup. A moment later, she turns to give Jeremy his cup. He walks across the kitchen to take the cup, brushing his hand against hers in the process. They remain standing in the kitchen, as they talk. Jeremy looks at the clock on the microwave, and notes that it's already 10:30 PM. He would love nothing more than to stay here with her. However, this is their first date, and he wants to do it right.

"It's getting late Sam. I better get going." Walking to the sink he rinses out his cup and leaves it there. "Oh ok. Well let me walk you out." They walk to the door together, both lingering. He steps up to Samantha and brushes her arm. "Can I…ugh…take you out again sometime?" She smiles and says, "I hope so." He leans in and brushes his lips against hers. She slowly raises her arms to place them around his neck. Her ribs still hurt a little, but she's willing to deal with it. The kiss becomes more heated, as he pulls her into him. When the need for air becomes too much, he pulls away from her, putting as much distance between them as he can.

Samantha looks a little dazed, as he rakes his hand over his face. "I need to get going." As she takes a step towards him he takes another step back, holding his hand up. She looks at him confused, worried she did something wrong. "If I don't leave now, I won't be leaving at all." She smiles, wondering if that would be a bad thing. 'I can't believe I'm actually thinking about this.' she thinks. She knows he wants to treat her right though. She carefully takes a step towards him. Kissing him on the cheek, she says, "I may not be strong enough to turn you away." She hears his intake of breath. "I know we're taking this slow though. You should go before something happens."

Completely agreeing with her, he turns to open the door. "I'll call you soon. Goodnight Sam." With that he is gone. Samantha stands there overcome with way too many emotions.


	20. Chapter 20

Monday morning, Martin is awoken by an insistent ringing. Grabbing her phone, she sees it's her partner. "What do you want DiNozzo?"

"Well good morning to you sunshine." He says a little too chipper. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Martin rubs her hand over her face, trying to wake up. "Just my beauty sleep. Why are you calling before my alarm goes off? Bond and I were just about to rid the world of evil." "Awesome! I want to hear about that later. I wonder if it's…"

"DiNozzo!" "Right. We've got a case. Coast Guard found one of ours swimming with the fishies." Martin sighed. "I'll meet you at the peer soon. At least we'll get to see Borin for a while." DiNozzo laughs. "Yeah. That's always interesting. See you soon."

He hangs up before Martin can say anything else. Turning off her alarm clock, she climbs out of bed. 'Never a good day when you get called in before the alarm goes off.' she thinks.

Martin and Bishop arrive at the peer to see a body laying on the beech, with a sheet underneath. Walking towards McGee, Martin asks, "What do we got?"

McGee stops taking pictures to say "Private Bryan Hunter." He motions towards two men talking to DiNozzo. "Fishermen found him floating in the water. Called the police. Coast Guard got involved. Now we're here."

Sighing, Martin turns to Bishop and asks, "You sketch. I'll bag and tag?" Bishop nods, and the women get to work. They are finishing up, when Ducky and Palmer arrive. "I would say good morning, but I think this young man would say otherwise." The three agents smirk. Leave it to Ducky to make everyone smile at a crime scene at seven in the morning.

By 9:00 AM, everyone is working hard on the case. McGee is running financials on Private Hunter, while Bishop is performing a back ground check. Gibbs and Borin are talking to the private's family. His parents had reported him missing, when they hadn't seen him in five days. DiNozzo and Martin have just left NCIS to look for clues at Private Hunter's apartment.

On the way to the apartment, DiNozzo wants to tease his partner a little. "So…Do anything fun lately?" Martin doesn't even turn away from the window. "No. You don't get to do that." DiNozzo scoffs. "What? Why not?" Turning her head to look at her partner, she says, "You know we went out Saturday. It's fresh. Leave it alone." Shifting his eyes between the road and his partner, DiNozzo mumbles "You're hiding something. Did you sleep with him?" Martin can't help but laugh and smile. "No, but Adagio was amazing." Without even turning her head, she knows her partner is staring at her.

"We're here" she says, seeing the apartment complex on the right hand side. DiNozzo quickly turns his eyes back to the road. Finding a parking space, the two climb out of the car. "We'll talk about this later." Martin gives him a smirk. "I'm sure we will."

The partners show their badges to the super, and he willingly opens the apartment for them. Putting on their gloves, they look around and see the apartment is relatively clean. Martin starts her search in the living room, while DiNozzo goes to the kitchen. There are a few bills waiting to be paid on the coffee table, along with a book, and remote control. Not finding anything in the kitchen, besides some spoiled food, DiNozzo heads for the bathroom. Looking around, he sees the regular products by the sink and in the shower. Opening the medicine cabinet, he finds some prescriptions. "Jack pot!"

Martin hears her partner, and heads for the bathroom. Seeing the open medicine cabinet, she takes a few pictures before reading the labels. "Ambien and Viagra. Call me crazy, but I don't think our thirty year old private needs a little blue pill." DiNozzo grabs two evidence bags, and puts the prescriptions inside. Once the prescriptions are in the bag, Martin reads the labels again. "The Viagra isn't his. It's prescribed to a Hector Raul. Definitely not our guy."

They both then head for the bedroom. Checking the closet, DiNozzo pulls a pistol out of a case on the top shelf. Martin takes a few pictures, before handing her partner a few evidence bags.

Searching the private's dresser drawers, Martin finds a small blue jewelry box. She opens the box, and stares at the ring for a moment. "Did the parents say anything about a girlfriend?" She sets the box down to take a picture. "Not that I know of. I'll ask McGee." He pulls his phone out of his pocket to text their partner. DiNozzo sends a picture of the ring. "If the parents are still with Gibbs and Borin, we'll get our answer soon enough."

The two continue to search the bedroom. While checking the night stand, Martin finds a small silver key. Holding it up she asks, "Lock box?" DiNozzo takes the key. "Maybe. Did you see any random locks sitting around?" Taking a picture of the key he's holding, she simply says, "Nope." He smiles when giving Martin back the key. "Bag and tag my friend."

They finish up a few minutes later, and head back to NCIS.

Once they are back, Martin takes the evidence down to Abby. "Hey Abs. We've got a lot for you. Pictures, key, gun, prescriptions, and a ring for an imaginary girlfriend. I'll have to bring you a caf pow later."

Abby immediately gets to work, and pulls out all of the evidence bags. Holding the bag with the ring, Abby turns to Martin. "Imaginary girlfriend?" Martin shrugs. "Looks like an engagement ring. Parents didn't know he had been seeing anyone." Abby nods and puts the bag down. "I'll check for prints." Turning to leave, Martin says "Call us when you have something."

Before she can get out the door, she hears "Hold up! I want to hear about your date." 'Dang. So close' Martin thinks. "We're in the middle of a case, so all I'm going to say is that we went to Adagio and then for a walk around the park." Martin can tell Abby wants more information. "Not now Abs." Abby starts to pout, but then says "Fine. Did you at least have a good time?" Martin can't hide her smile. "Yeah. I really did." Her friend does a happy dance, as Martin turns to walk away.

Upstairs, Martin gets off the elevator to hear DiNozzo giving the others a run down of the apartment. "What's a thirty year old man doing with someone else's Viagra?" Martin responds, "That's just one of many questions with this case. Prescriptions, engagement ring, girlfriend. The list goes on and on."

The partners stand there for a moment, taking in all of the information. Walking back to his desk, Gibbs starts handing out orders. "Bishop, look into Hector Raul. Martin, I want to know who the ring is for, and where she ran off to. McGee, pay a visit to his doctor. Find out about the sleeping pills and any other conditions. DiNozzo, go see Hunter's superiors." The partners go their separate ways and get to work.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own NICS or any of its characters.**

**Review Response: Uh huh (Guest) I have to respond on here, because I can't personally respond to guests. Sadly, my name is NOT Samantha Martin. How amazing would that be though...to get to work with this awesome group of characters. I'm not sure why this upsets you. However, thank you for taking the time to review the story.**

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While Bishop is working on background and financial checks, Martin is watching the video feed from the front of the apartment. Martin has been staring at her computer screen for what seems like forever when she sees Private Hunter enter the apartment building with a unidentified young woman. She freezes the video and takes a screen shot. E-mailing the picture to Abby, she picks up her phone. "Abby I just sent you an e-mail. I need you to run facial recognition for me. I'll be down to see you soon."

Hanging up, she rubs her face and gets back to the video. Not long after Martin's phone call, Bishop pulls up information on the main screen.

"Samantha come take a look." Pausing the video, Martin looks up. "Gladly. I feel like I'm going cross eyed." Bishop smirks.

Pulling up a picture, she says, "Hector Raul. Remember him? Columbian drug lord with a rap sheet long enough to make Charles Manson look like the Easter bunny." Martin stares at his picture and rap sheet. Finally she asks, "I know I don't really need to ask, but what about his financials?" Bishop pulls them up on another screen. "Financials are as bad as his record. He's got money coming in from everywhere." "Hunter's financials didn't show any large withdrawals or deposits though. How are these two connected?"

As if on cue, Martin gets a call from Abby. "You need to get down here. Facial recognic came up with and ID." Martin hears the urgency in her friends voice. "Alright Abs. Bishop and I are on our way." Turning to Bishop she says, "Abby has figured out who the girlfriend is." Bishop takes down the information from the main screen, and they head to the lab.

Seeing them walk into the lab, Abby immediately jumps up. "We may have a problem." "Slow down." says Martin. "Who's the woman in the video?" They walk over to one of Abby's computers. As she pulls up the woman's picture, they see her name and sigh. "Why can't we ever get an easy case?" Martin looks over at Bishop. "Where's the fun in that?"

On the computer screen, there is a picture of a beautiful young woman named Alesandra Raul; niece of Hector Raul. Turning to Bishop again, Martin says "Call Borin and give her a heads up. Mr. Raul is in town, and I'm guessing he isn't willing to play nice. Then put out a BOLO on Ms. Raul. We can only hope she will be more helpful than her uncle. I'm going to see Gibbs and the Director."

The three women look at each other again, before getting to work.

It's around 1:30 PM when everyone meets back at NCIS. Martin and Bishop are first to share their information. "Looks like we're working a high profile case" says Martin. Bishop puts the information on the screen as Martin speaks. "Hector Raul. Columbian drug lord. He has a rap sheet a mile long. Metro believes he is responsible for two unsolved murders. Of course now that he's the boss, he has the ability to hire others to do his dirty work."

She pauses as Bishop pulls up the picture of Private Hunter's girlfriend. "Alesandra Raul. Hector's niece and Hunter's girlfriend. We'll have to find her and bring her in."

McGee steps up next. "I spoke with Doctor Montgomery. Said he's been Private Hunter's doctor for five years now. No known medical problems. He prescribed Hunter Ambien for trouble sleeping. He had no other symptoms, so the doctor attributed the sleeplessness to stress on the job. He also said taking Viagra would increase blood flow and heart rate. If Hunter was taking it without cause, it was probably used as a drug similar to cocaine."

Bishop takes this time to speak up. "If he's dating the niece of a drug lord, why would he take Viagra to get high? Wouldn't Raul notice it missing?" DiNozzo is the one to answer her question. "Raul is going to care more about drugs going missing than a bottle of Viagra. Besides, Viagra isn't going to show up on a drug test He can't risk a positive result, if he wants to maintain his position as a private."

He stands there for a moment looking at all the information on the screen. Turning back to the group he says, "By the way, Hunter's superiors said he was an exemplary private. Didn't question authority and always showed up to work. I'm guessing they don't know about his personal life." They all head back to their desks.

"Where are we on the BOLO?" asks Gibbs. Bishop tells him she issued it about an hour ago. They haven't heard anything yet. He looks up to see Director Vance step out of his office. "Vance has been in contact with other agencies. I'll see what he knows. Go to lunch." They all nod, and McGee calls Abby to see if she's coming with them. A few minutes later, Abby meets them upstairs, and they head for the elevator.

The team has been back at work for close to an hour when Gibbs gets the call. He hangs up the phone, and tells his team, "Alesandra Raul is being brought in. Bishop, Martin you're up." The two nod, and get the information ready. Once they are ready, Martin turns to Bishop. "We need to treat this more like we're a pair of sympathetic women. We don't suspect her of anything." "Sounds good" Bishop says.

Twenty minutes later, Metro escorts Ms. Raul up to their floor. Bishop gets up to take her to a conference room. Looking at the clock, Martin sees that it's 5:30 PM. "Looks like you two will be working late" smirks DiNozzo. Walking past him, Martin smacks him on the back of the head with the file. "You're just jealous you can't check her out while pretending to console her." DiNozzo tries to act hurt, while McGee can't help but laugh and shake his head.

Martin walks into the conference room. "Ms. Raul, I'm Agent Martin. You've met Agent Bishop." Ms. Raul nods, and says, "Please call me Alesandra. What can I do for you?" Sitting down, Martin asks, "How do you know Private Bryan Hunter?" Alesandra sits back in her chair and looks between the two women. "We are seeing each other. I guess you would say he is my boyfriend."

Martin nods. "And when was the last time you saw or spoke to him?" "I've been out of the country for almost two weeks. Let's see. I ugh spoke to him four days ago. Why? What's going on?"

Martin sighs and puts her pen down. "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this Alesandra. Private Hunter was found dead this morning. We are trying to figure out what happened to him." Alesandra's hands fly to her mouth. She sits there in shock for a moment, before the tears start pouring down. The two agents sit back and give her time to take in the information.

Finally, the grieving woman looks up. "What happened? Where did you find him?" Bishop takes the opportunity to speak. "Private Hunter was found this morning in the Potomac River. Our ME believes he was placed there sometime late last night."

Alesandra stares at the table for a moment, before getting up to look out the window. "Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt Hunter?" asks Bishop. The three women remain silent for several minutes. "Alesandra." Martin softly says. "We need you to help us. If you know anything, now is the time to tell us."


	22. Chapter 22

Alesandra walks to the table and sits down. Looking at the women she says, "Obviously you know about my family. Only a few in the family are corrupt, but those who are, have certainly made a name for themselves. Before my father died, he wanted a better life for my mother and I. We've led relatively normal lives, but have remained in contact with the family."

She stops talking and sits there quietly. Bishop gets up to get Alesandra a glass of water and more Kleenex.

"Bryan and I met five months ago. I tried to keep my family hidden from him, but he kept asking questions. With all of the questions and my last name, he figured it out." While starting to cry again, she continued to tell her story. "Two months ago, he asked to meet my uncle. He wouldn't say why. Just said he wanted to know everything about me. He knew I was nervous, but he promised to love me no matter what."

Bishop asks what they need to know. "What happened once Hunter met your uncle? Was he involved in any of your uncle's…activities?" Alesandra adamantly shook her head. "My uncle didn't know or trust him enough to allow him into the family business. Besides. Bryan was a Private in the US Navy. There was no way he would risk that."

Martin pulls a picture out of the file, and places it on the table in front of Alesandra. "If he didn't want to risk his position, then what was he doing with your uncle's prescription?" Staring at the picture, she stammers, "I…I don't know."

Martin looks at her. "I know this is hard, but knowing the answers will help us find who did this to him. Can you think of any reason as to why your boyfriend would have this prescription in his medicine cabinet."

Alesandra ran her hands over her face. "I don't know. There were many side effects for the sleeping pills he had been taking. Maybe that was one of the side effects, and he was too embarrassed to get help. There is no way he would abuse prescriptions or any other drug."

Bishop knows the questions need to be asked. She just hates to bring anymore pain to the woman. "Is there any reason to believe Hunter was trying to become a part of the family business?" Alesandra looks at her. "You think Bryan was just using me to sell drugs?"

"No." Bishop rushes to say. "We just have to cover all of our basis."

Martin sits in her seat watching the young woman. She's having an internal debate on whether or not to tell her about the ring. Finally, she gives in. "Alesandra. Hunter loved you very much. He was not using you to get to your family." Bishop looks at Martin.; wondering where she is going with this.

"How…how do you know?" Alesandra asks. Martin flips through the file, and pulls out a picture of the jewelry box she had found in Private Hunter's dresser. Placing the picture on the table, Martin says, "We found this at his apartment. His parents said they had never seen it before. We have to believe it was meant for you."

Alesandra sat there in shock. "Is that what I think it is?" Martin smiled. "Yes, it is. We believe it was meant for you." A new wave of tears flooded Alesandra's eyes. "This is all my fault. If he hadn't of met me, none of this would have happened. He would still be alive."

Bishop placed her hand on top of Alesandra's. "Don't say that. It's obvious that he loved you. Men don't go around buying a ring for no reason. He wanted to be with you, so don't blame yourself." The three women sit in silence for a while longer.

Finally, Martin stands up. "Alesandra. I think that's enough for now. You've already got enough to digest." The other women stand up. "If you think of anything of importance, or want to talk, give us a call." Bishop walks Alesandra out, while Martin goes back to her desk.

When she arrives back at her desk, she notices the three men looking at her. She stands there for a moment and says "She didn't know anything had happened to him. Apparently, she's not part of the family business. Private Hunter had insisted on meeting Hector Raul. In finding the engagement ring, my guess is he wanted to ask permission to marry Alesandra. Her father passed away six years ago. That still doesn't explain why he was found floating in the river. We need to bring Hector Raul in."

As Martin finishes with her update, Bishop returns to her desk. Bishop looks up at the others, "What if Private Hunter asked Hector Raul for permission to marry his niece, but Raul said no? What if Hunter said he was going to ask anyway? Would that be reason enough for murder?"

DiNozzo speaks up. "This is Hector Raul we're talking about. I'm sure he's killed for less."

They sit quietly at their desks for a while. It's McGee's turn to speak up. "What if Private Hunter had plans to take Alesandra away from her family? As crazy as it sounds, most drug lords are big on family togetherness."

Again, the team sat silently, thinking of the possibility of each of those ideas. Gibbs stands up from his desk, grabbing his bag. "Go home. We'll start fresh in the morning."

The team doesn't have to be told twice. While turning off her computer, Martin glances at the time. 8:00 PM 'It's been a very long day' she thinks. They all climb on the elevator to head home.


	23. Chapter 23

By the time Martin gets home and changes her clothes, she contemplates going straight to bed. The sound of her stomach growling, reminds her she hasn't eaten in several hours. She fixes a quick dinner and sits down to eat. Once done, she glances at her phone. It's 9:20 PM.

She wonders if she should call Johnson. She hasn't heard anything from him since their date Saturday night. 'Did I do something wrong?' she asks herself. As she stretches out on the couch, she tells herself to calm down. It's only been two days. Maybe he's just busy. 'It's not exactly like I had an easy day.'

Covering up with a blanket, she grabs her phone. She sends Johnson a text, and waits for his reply. 'Are you asleep?' She's just about to turn the television on when her phone rings.

Looking at the screen, she sees it's him. Releasing the breath she didn't even know she was holding, she answers her phone. "Hello."

"Hey Sam. How are you?" Dear Lord. That voice. 'Ugh! I really need help' she thinks. Realizing she hasn't actually said anything, she says "Just got home not to long ago. Didn't know if I should call or not."

Johnson can hear the uneasiness in her voice. "I'm glad you did." After a short pause, he asks, "Long day?" He hears her give a dry laugh. "DiNozzo called at 6:00 this morning. Been going ever since. How was your day?"

She can almost hear a smile in his voice. "Apparently not as eventful as yours. I've been collecting intel on a new case." He pauses for a moment. "Sam. I think I might have to go under for a while." Samantha doesn't respond right away, so Jeremy continues. "I'll let you know. I won't go anywhere without telling you as much as I can first." Samantha sighs. "Thank you."

There is another long silence on the phone. "Sam are you alright?" She rubs her hand over her face as she answers. "Yeah. Just a rough case. We're going up against Hector Raul and the Columbian Cartel."

Samantha hears his intake of breath. "What? Why didn't we get a report on this?" What he really wants to ask, is 'Why didn't I know about it?' "Guess it's not CIA priority. We're working with coast guard on this one. Borin is our go to girl." "Ok." Jeremy sighs. "DiNozzo better have your six though. I'll see what we've got on Raul and get it to you tomorrow."

"No!" Samantha rushes to say. Settling down she says, "That won't be necessary. You have your own intel to collect right now….That's not why I wanted to talk to you anyway." There is silence on the line again. Why is this so awkward? I've slept with the guy, and now I can't even talk to him?

Out of nowhere she hears him very slowly ask, "What did you want to talk about, Sam?" Shocked, she responds with a less than intelligent "I ugh…what?"

She doesn't really know the answer to that. "It's 9:30 at night, after you just finished a 14 hour day. Why are you talking to me when you could be getting some much needed sleep?" It's not that he minds. In fact, he is overjoyed. He had been doing his best to step back and give her time to analyze what had happened during their date. He was just praying that he hadn't pushed her too far, and that she wasn't calling to say it was a mistake.

"I don't really know. I guess I…It just seemed like the right thing to do. I'm sorry if I'm bothering you…."

Now it's Jeremy's turn to respond quickly. "No Sam. It doesn't matter what's going on. You will never be bothering me. I've told you before…If you ever need anything, I want you to call me."

She doesn't respond. He hears rustling on the line though, so he knows she's still there. Finally she says, "Jeremy…" Sighing she continues, "God I feel like I'm in high school again. Are we…ugh…really doing this? You and me?" For a moment he doesn't respond. Samantha worries he has changed his mind, and doesn't want a relationship with her. Really, he's thinking 'How do I explain this without yelling I love you from the rooftop like an idiot?'

Samantha starts to ramble. "W-We don't have to be anything. I-I was just wondering, because you know….after Saturday…"

"Samantha." He cuts her off. "What do you want it to mean?"

"Jeremy, please. I'm doing good to even focus on this conversation right now. Please just tell me what you're thinking. No games." He pauses for a moment. Afraid of the rejection, not of what he's about to say.

"I'm all in Sam. You're the first thing I think about in the morning, and the last thing before bed. Every day that we're apart, I wonder what you're doing. If you're safe. We should have been together four years ago. I'm not going to make that mistake again."

He hears a light sniffle. Is she crying? "Sam?"

"I'm here." She responds. "God. You must think I'm an idiot for crying. It's a good thing you aren't here right now. I'm a mess." Jeremy chuckles. "I doubt that."

She pulls herself together enough to respond. "If you're sure you really want me…I'm all in, Jeremy." He laughs. "Oh I most definitely want you." Samantha blushes. She's not sure if he means it the way it came out, but she certainly hopes so. He hears her laugh. "Ok…on that note, I think it's time for me to go to bed." He smiles, even though he knows she can't see it. "That's probably a good idea. I'm glad you called. Goodnight." She simply says "Goodnight." and ends the call.

She's not sure why she called him tonight. The only thing she knows, is she's glad she did.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: The idea ****of Keates showing up at NCIS, is not mine. It belongs to the writers of the show. However, the other ideas of this chapter are original and mine.**

The next morning, McGee and Martin walk off the elevator together. "Is it too much to ask for an easy day?" Martin laughs. "Ha! You do know what we do, right?" Before McGee can respond, Martin stops dead in her tracks and throws her arm out in front of her partner.

Looking confused, McGee starts to say "What are you…" She grabs his arm and pulls him back around the corner. McGee is beyond lost and just stares at his partner. Martin sighs and in a hushed whisper says, "Look!"

He follows her line of site to see a beautiful brunette standing extremely close to DiNozzo. Looking back to his partner McGee asks, "Is that?" Martin smiles. "The one and only. Zoey Keates. DiNozzo's former partner. Looking pretty cozy too if you ask me."

McGee and Martin watch the pair. Zoey pulls something out of her pocket and dangles it in front of DiNozzo. He quickly grabs it. Stuffing it in his pocket, he looks around to make sure no one saw the exchange. Just as this is happening, Bishop walks up behind them. "What's going on guys?" They both jump in surprise, and Martin pulls Bishop's arm to make sure she's hidden.

"Shhh! DiNozzo has company." Bishop looks towards the desk to see what's going on. She sees Zoey and DiNozzo standing very close together. "Is that the woman from the park?" McGee quickly shakes his head and turns back towards the two. 'Oh this is too good.' he thinks. All the times he has made fun of me….This is most definitely getting filed away.

"What does it mean though?" asks Bishop. Martin smirks in response. "It means he got laid last night." They watch as Zoey places her hands on his chest, and leans up to kiss his cheek. As she turns to walk towards the elevator, The three immediately scramble around the corner to hide.

Once the elevator doors close, the three partners walk towards their desks as nonchalantly as possible. Putting her bag down, Martin notices the coffee her partner always has for her. DiNozzo looks up. "About time you guys got here. I can't promise that coffee is still hot." Martin smiles and thinks about calling her partner out.

Taking a drink, she glances at the other two. 'No.' She thinks. 'A surprise attack would be so much better.' Without giving herself away, she sits down to turn on her computer. Holding the cup out, she smiles and says, "Thanks DiNozzo."

The team hasn't been at work long, when Gibbs gets a call from Ducky. Hanging up the phone, he looks at his team. "Ducky found something. I'll be in the morgue." He gets up and walks away, before anyone can say anything.

A few minutes later, Gibbs gets off the elevator and enters the morgue. He sees Private Hunter laying on the slab. Palmer is sitting at the computer, while Ducky is standing over the body. "What do you got Duck?" "Ah Jethro. I believe I may have some good news. Unfortunately, it won't do anything to help our dear friend's state, but at least we may have our first real clue."

Gibbs just stares at his friend. "Right" Ducky says. Then he goes on to explain his findings. "When one is exposed to chemicals for too long, those chemicals begin to seep into the skin. For instance, a janitor who works with bleach, will forever have residue on his hands. The same can be said when producing illegal substances. By being in a room or warehouse for too long the chemicals become a part of them. I find it interesting that Private Hunter had never produced or been a user of drugs, yet a tox screen picked up on trace levels of two of the main ingredients of cocaine."

Gibbs sighs and looks down at the Private. "So either his girlfriend lied and he was being brought into the Raul family, or our suspect was probably working for the Raul family." Ducky agrees. "Either way, it's not looking good for that family."

They stand there for a moment, before Ducky adds, "The amount of residue found is such a low dose, I would venture to say it was from the suspect. If Private Hunter was indeed working for the family the past two months, his tox screen would have come back with much higher numbers."

Gibbs nods his head before turning to leave. "Good job Ducky. You may have just blown this case wide open."

Gibbs stands in front of his desk, as he addresses his team. "Apparently chemicals and cocaine residue can stay on your skin for a long time. According to his girlfriend, Private Hunter never used or sold drugs. That means the residue Ducky found has to be from our suspect." Everyone nodded in agreement.

DiNozzo speaks up. "So. Do we trust the girlfriend?"

"I think we do." Bishop says looking at Martin. "She was really broken up about what happened to Hunter, and did what she could to answer our questions." "So Hector Raul sent his men to dispose of Private Hunter. How do we find out why, and which ones?" asks McGee.

Martin, who hasn't said anything throughout the entire conversations looks up and says, "I have an idea." Gibbs and her partners turn to look at her.

"Follow me here" she says. "Alesandra told us that she and her mother were not part of the family business. They were well acquainted with the going ons of the family, but never actually took part. We call Alesandra, and ask that she and her mother come in. We play our card regarding the tox screen. Ask her, if Hunter wasn't trying to join her family, then why did he have residue on his body Either he was involved in illegal dealings, or he was killed by some one who was."

DiNozzo looks at his partner. "How do we know she won't go running back to her family?" Confidently Martin says, "She won't. She's a woman in love, out to prove that Hunter did nothing wrong." The team sits quietly analyzing the plan. The silence is broken by Gibbs. "Make it happen." He goes towards the elevator. One can only assume he is going to get another cup of coffee.

Martin turns to Bishop. "She seemed to like you yesterday. Think you can get them here?" Bishop nods and picks up her phone. "I'm on it."

Two hours later, Alesandra and her mother are being escorted to a conference room. Without being told, Bishop and Martin grab their files and follow after the pair.

Sitting down at the table, Martin gets to work. "Alesandra. Thank you for coming back in. How are you doing?" The woman takes a deep breath and says, "As good as I can be. Bishop said you wanted to see us again?"

"There's just a few things we need you to clear up." says Bishop. Martin turns to look at Alesandra's mother. "Mrs. Raul. If you can help in any way, please feel free to let us know." Mrs. Raul nods her head and says, "I'm here for my daughter…and please call me Marta." The women nod and start their line of questioning.

"Alesandra. When you were here yesterday, you were certain that Private Hunter had never been around or done drugs. Are you sure about that?" The woman leans forward on the table. "Of course I'm sure. He had drug tests for work, and he was always clean. Between his job, friends, and me, he never had time to be a dealer." "We want to believe that, but there are just some things that aren't adding up" said Martin.

"Alesandra." said Bishop. "Why do you think Private Hunter was so interested in meeting your family?"

"You're wrong!" cries Alesandra. "I know Bryan. There is no way he was into drugs." Turning to Martin she says, "You showed me the ring. Are you trying to say that he wanted to marry me to get to my family?" As the woman slumps back into her chair, Martin pulls out another paper from the file. "I'm not saying that Alesandra. We're just trying to figure out this next piece of information. Our medical examiner performed a toxicology screen, to look for any substances that may be in Private Hunter's body or on his skin or clothing."

Taking a moment to allow Alesandra and Marta time to understand everything, Martin looks over at Bishop. She nods for her partner to continue. "Private Hunter's screen came back with something. He did not have any drugs in his system at the time of his death. However, there were traces of cocaine on his skin and clothing. If he wasn't making or selling drugs, why was it found on his person?"

Alesandra put her head in her hands and began to cry. Marta rubbed her daughter's back, doing her best to comfort the woman. Once Alesandra calms down, Bishop asks what they need to know. "Alesandra, Marta can either of you explain why he would have traces of cocaine on his clothing? We are open to any possibility at this point."

Alesandra shakes her head. "He spent a few days with my uncle Hector. Would that be enough to get something on him?" "It's possible, but Private Hunter would have to have been in the room with the drugs to get the traces we found. Shaking your uncle's hand wouldn't have been enough" said Bishop.

Marta, who had been quiet for most of the exchange, took the opportunity to speak up. "My daughter is certain Mr. Hunter was not trying to join our family business. There must be another explanation."

"Alesandra." Martin carefully said. "Is it possible Private Hunter went to see your uncle for a more personal reason? Would he go to your uncle in order to ask for his blessing to marry you?" Mother and daughter simply stare at Martin. Finally, Marta speaks up. "I am her mother. Why wouldn't Mr. Hunter have come to me?" Martin sighs. "I can't answer that. If Private Hunter wasn't with Mr. Raul for business reasons, it would have to be for a more personal reason."

Giving time fore that information to be absorbed, Martin turns to the two women. "Is there anyone who would be upset about Private Hunter asking for Mr. Raul's blessing?" Marta nods. "My brother-in-law has a young man named Victor Sanchez working for him. Before my husband moved us away from the business, Alesandra and Victor were very close. They were friends, but I always felt Victor wanted more."

Martin writes this information down. "Is there any reason to believe he still harbors feelings for you Alesandra?" The woman looks up. "I haven't seen him in almost eight years. Surely he had moved on."

Bishop leans forward. "Are there any other men we should be looking into? Is there anything that sticks out in your mind?"

Again, Marta speaks up. "If Mr. Hunter had upset Hector in any way, he would have sent his right hand man to deal with the…problem."

"We're going to need a name Marta." The woman doesn't respond. Martin and Bishop both look up at the woman. Her face displays an array of emotions. "Mama please." says Alesandra. "We have to tell them everything. If they hurt Bryan, I need to know."

Marta nods, and Alesandra turns back to the women. "My uncle is training both his close friend and son to take over the family business one day. They don't normally allow members from the outside in, but my uncle's friend is more like a brother to him. You'll need to look into Herman Rodriguez and my cousin Antonio Raul."

Martin writes down the information. Bishop turns to the women. "Is there anything else you want to tell us before you leave?"

Marta turns to the women with a serious look. "You didn't hear any of this information from us. We may be family, but if they think we have turned against them, they will not hesitate to come after us." The partners nod. "Of course Marta. We can also offer you a protection detail, or put the both of you into protective custody."

Marta shakes her head. "That won't be necessary. Just make sure the information doesn't get linked backed to us."

The four women get up from the table, and head for the door. "Thank you both for coming in. We will find out what happened to Private Hunter."

Bishop escorts the women out, while Martin heads for her desk.


	25. Chapter 25

Sitting at her desk, Martin looks at the three names she wrote down during the interview. These three men may be responsible for what happened to Private Hunter, but there is no denying that Hector Raul is involved.

Looking up to her boss and partners she says, "Alright guys. We've got three new names to look into." The men look up and acknowledge they are ready to get to work. "First of all, we have Herman Rodriguez…Hector Raul's childhood friend and right hand man. Second, Hector Raul's son Antonio Raul. He's also being primed to take over the business one day. Finally, Victor Sanchez. He handles a lot of Hector Raul's dirty work. He's also a childhood friend of Alesandras. At least at one point, he wanted to be more, but Alesandra's father moved the family away."

McGee and DiNozzo both nod before typing away on their computers. Gibbs stands up heading for the elevator. "McGee financials. DiNozzo back ground checks. Martin, I want other agencies notified, and these three men along with Hector Raul put on the no fly list. When Bishop gets back, I want BOLOS put out on all three of them."

Without looking back, Gibbs gets on the elevator and heads to Abby's lab.

By the time the BOLOS have been put out, notifications sent out to other agencies, and information on the three men obtained, it is past lunch time and well on it's way to dinner. Gibbs walks back to his desk, asking "What do we got?"

The team jumps up. Bishop informs him that BOLOS have been put out on the three members of the cartel. Metro will call when they have a lead. Gibbs nods, and moves on to Martin.

"Both Rauls, Rodriguez, and Sanchez have all been placed on the no fly list. They are going to be pissed when they find out." She looks to her boss, who doesn't say anything. Martin continues, "FBI, TSA, NSA, and USCG are all on high alert. Fornell and Borin are both headed this way. Director Vance is in contact with SECNAV." Stepping back out of the way, she allows McGee to take point.

"Antonio Raul, Hector's son. Not a lot going on with him, as he's not in charge yet. He's got a few large sum deposits here and there. For instance, last month he had a deposit of $300,000. Obviously we can't be sure, but I would say he moved a large sum of Cocaine recently. The other two, Victor Sanchez and Herman Rodriguez, are the ones to watch for. It appears, Victor Sanchez does most of the odd jobs. He has several small deposits made every few weeks. Around the time that Private Hunter died, he received one of his largest deposits of $100,000. We can't be absolutely sure they are related, but you know….rule 39."

Bishop interrupts to say, "Sanchez was interested in a relationship with Alesandra years ago. That plus the money may be enough motive." The partners nod as McGee continues.

"Finally, Herman Rodriguez. His financials look similar to Hector Raul. He's definitely not hurting for money, as he gets large sum deposits multiple times a month."

DiNozzo takes the remote from McGee and displays the three men's criminal histories on the screen.

"All right boys and girls. Herman Rodriguez. He had several arrests back in the day…petty theft, drug possession. Not much recently though. It seems he likes to give out orders and let others take the fall. Next up is Antonio Raul. He went big for his first offense. Police found him with four kilos of cocaine when he was just 16 years old."

He stops long enough for McGee to comment. "If that's not following in your father's footsteps, I don't know what is." Bishop tries to contain her laugh, while Martin rolls her eyes.

"He spent some time in Juvy before going on to catch a theft and battery case as an adult. Then we have Victor Sanchez. He's definitely their go to guy. His rap sheet goes on forever. Which charge do you want to talk about? We've got possession, intent to sell, theft, robbery, battery."

"We get it DiNozzo" Gibbs says, effectively cutting him off. Staring at the screen, Martin says, "There's even times he was arrested, but the charges were dropped. With all of this, you would think they could hold him a little longer."

Walking towards them, Fornell says, "Money talks Martin. You know that." They heard the elevator ding, and him walking towards them, but nobody bothered to turn around. They continue to stare at the screens, until Martin finally breaks the trance. Turning to Fornell, she asks, "So does that make us the brave or dumb ones to go after them?"

He simply shrugs and says, "Take your pick."

Gibbs looks to his friend and asks, "You got anything for us?" Fornell hands McGee his thumb drive and takes the remote out of DiNozzo's hand. "In fact I do. This was taken from a security camera across the street from Private Hunters apartment."

Martin turns to look at him, "How did you?…We were told the cameras had been broken ?"

Fornell smiles, "We have our ways." DiNozzo glares at the man. "Yeah. Like that's not cryptic."

They all turn back to the screen to see what was on the cameras. They watch as Victor Sanchez sits in a car nearby, and observes Private Hunter and Alesandra walking arm and arm up to the apartment building. He sits there for a a moment after they are inside and then drives away. Bishop looks to the others and says, "Well he definitely knew where Private Hunter lived."

McGee agrees, "I bet he wasn't very happy about seeing them together either."

"There's one more" Says Fornell. They turn back to the screen. This time they see Antonio Raul and Victor Sanchez sitting in a different car. They don't appear to see the couple, as they sit there for several hours.

"What's the point of sitting in a car in front of his building? Is that some kind of intimidation tactic?" asks Bishop.

McGee responds, "It's doubtful he even saw them."

Martin picks up where her partner leaves off. "They were establishing his routine." Turning to Fornell she asks, "When was this taken?" Without looking at her Fornell answers "Two weeks ago."

"So this was premeditated. They had been planning this for a while."

Bishop stares at the screen where it is paused on the two men driving away. "Isn't this enough reason to put a detail on Alesandra and Marta?"

Unbeknownst to them, they have an audience. Abby has just brought up a visitor. The two stand behind the group watching. They are all standing in a row. Gibbs is obviously the leader with his intimidating stance. Next to him is Bishop, McGee, Martin, Fornell, and then DiNozzo.

Martin thinks what Bishop has said is a terrible idea, but before she can respond, DiNozzo is already on it. "These guys are pros. You put an unmarked car out front, they're going to spot it. You might as well go ahead and sign their death warrants."

They all stand quietly thinking. From behind, they hear Abby's voice say "Look at them. They're like little ducklings all in a row." A male voice laughs before they can turn around.

As the team turns around, Martin is surprised to see Johnson staring right at her. Her eyes display a mixture of surprise and confusion, before a smile spreads across her face. Walking as casually as she can towards him….she is at work after all…she stands right next to him. "What are you doing here?"

He smiles and puts his hand on her back. "Abby told me you guys were hard at work, and hadn't eaten anything all day." Turning to Gibbs he says, "If it's alright with you, I would like to take everyone to dinner."

Gibbs looks at his team, and then nods. "Go ahead. I've got a few things to take care of around here." Abby squeals in delight ad the rest of the team smiles and grabs their coats. "Are you coming Fornell?" asks Martin. He smirks and says, "No. You kids go ahead and go." Just as they are about to leave Gibbs stops them. "Head out for the night. If metro picks up our guys, I'm calling you all back in." A mixture of "Got it boss." and "Thanks boss." flow through the air.

They are just about to get on the elevator, when Borin steps off. Martin puts her hand on Borin's arm. "We're being aloud out to eat. Do you want to come?" Borin laughs, but says, "I'm good." The group files onto the elevator, and the doors close.

"What sounds good?" asks Bishop. Abby smiles. "How about Mortys on Wisconsin?" The team agrees, just as the doors open and everyone steps out.

Without giving it much thought, Johnson puts his hand on Martin's lower back again. DiNozzo, who has been standing directly behind them, can't let a chance go by. Getting everyone's attention, he says, "Awww. Look at the love birds. I'm so glad you two listened to me and finally took a chance." Martin blushes a little, while Johnson looks like he wants to punch DiNozzo in the face.

Recovering quickly, Martin asks, "So will Keates be joining us, or does she have to work late?" Bishop and McGee do their best, to stifle their surprised laughs. DiNozzo looks like a dear caught in headlights. Abby and Johnson both look confused, but for some reason Johnson can't help but smirk.

"Wait. I thought…." Abby is cut off by Martin. "Abby. In the car." "But I…"

"Abby!" Martin gives her a look. Abby turns to Johnson, and asks, "Which one is yours?" He unlocks the car they had almost reached, and Abby climbs in the back.

DiNozzo is still standing there in shock. He looks like a fish out of water, as his mouth opens and closes. 'How do they know?' he wonders. Bishop and McGee laugh out loud, while McGee claps him on the shoulder. "Come on Tony. We'll let you drive."

The second Martin is in the car, Abby leans forward. "What do you know?"

"Oh Abby. I love that you are our scientist, but sometimes I really wish you worked upstairs." Johnson looks at the two, and shakes his head. Starting the car, he heads towards Mortys.

Abby looks her friend in the eye, and says, "Start at the beginning." Martin hesitates for a split second, and the dives right in.

"You know we met her a few months ago, when we thought she was a terrorist. I could see the spark then, but I knew he wasn't ready. I made a few comments here and there, but with everything happening, I backed off. Of course he hadn't brought anything up either. So…imagine my surprise this morning when McGee and I got off the elevator."

"No way!" Shrieked Abby.

"Standing right by his desk, as close as two people can be with their clothes on, she leans in and kisses his cheek. I grabbed McGee and we hid around the corner. It was hilarious to see him look around the room to make sure no one was watching. About that time, Bishop came walking around the corner. We grabbed her, and the three us watched."

They both turn towards Johnson, when they hear him laughing. Glancing over at Martin he asks, "You don't talk about us like that, do you?" The two women make eye contact before Martin turns back to him. "Of course not!" At the same time however, Abby says, "Yeah. Although with this case coming along, I never got to hear about your date the other night." Johnson shakes his head, while Martin stares straight ahead out the window. Abby makes a mental note to ask about that later.

Hitting Martin's arm, Abby asks, "So what happened next?"

Martin quickly turns sideways again, and says, "You'll never believe it. Keates said, "I came to return what you left at my apartment this morning as you rushed out the door."

Abby starts to hyperventilate. "What was it. Please tell me you saw."

Martin laughs. "Of course I did! She pulled out his cuffs and dangled them in front of his face. DiNozzo grabbed them and stuffed them in his back pocket…but not before we saw it."

Abby falls back onto her seat. "Unbelievable! I'm so glad he found somebody after Ziva."

No longer smiling, Martin says, "Me too. That was a rough time. But listen Abs. Don't push him to hard. I'm not sure how new it is, and he must be serious about her for him to be so quiet about it."

Abby uses her fingers to close her lips. "Don't worry my lips are sealed." Martin gives her a knowing look. "Well, most of the time they will be." The two don't stop smiling and laughing until they pull into the parking space at Morty's.

The three head into the restaurant and grab a table for six. It doesn't take long for the other three to arrive. Immediately, DiNozzo walks over to his partner. He puts both of his hands on her shoulders and leans in behind her. "Nicely played." She smirks. "Of course. Did you expect anything less?" He laughs and walks around to the other side of the table. "We'll talk about this later." She tilts her beer towards him and says "You can count on it."

If Johnson had seen this a few weeks ago, his insides would have been burning with jealousy. Now, however, he just takes another swig of his beer, and scoots his chair closer to her.

Halfway through the meal, Johnson gets up to get another round of drinks. DiNozzo gets up and offers to help. They are standing at the bar, waiting on the bartender, when DiNozzo speaks up.

"So…you and Martin." Johnson glances over at him before saying, "Me and Martin." DiNozzo takes his big brother stance and looks serious. "So you're together now? Are you sure this time? Because if you're not…walk away now before she gets hurt." Johnson looks at DiNozzo and nods. "I'm sure." He turns his head to look back at their table. For a moment, he watches as Martin laughs at something Bishop has said.

Turning back to DiNozzo he says, "I never should have turned her away the first time." DiNozzo stares at him a little longer. He must accept what the CIA Agent says, because he smacks him on the back with a smile. They order the group's drinks and head back to the table.

Sitting down, Johnson grabs Martin's hand. She looks over at him and then down to their hands. She gives his hand a little squeeze, and goes back to her discussion with her partners.

After dinner, they all drive back to NCIS. Standing in the parking garage, DiNozzo calls Gibbs. "We just got back from dinner. Is there anything we need to come back up for?" He listens a moment and then says, "Alright boss. We'll see you in the morning."

Putting his phone back in his pocket, he turns to the group. "Metro thinks they have a lead on Victor Sanchez. They're going to watch him tonight, and bring him in in the morning." The three partners nod. Martin sighs and says, "I doubt Antonio Raul will turn on his father, but it would be nice if they could bring him in too. You know how easily they get spooked."

DiNozzo agrees. "FBI is going after him. Guess we'll find out tomorrow."

Bishop says, "We have evidence against those two. It will be nice to get justice for Private Hunter."

"Yeah, but Hector Raul will still be out there. We need to bring him down." says McGee.

They are silent for a moment. Leave it to Abby to brake the silence. "Alright my little ninjas. I'm heading home." Turning to Johnson, she throws her arms around him. "Thank you for dinner." A little stunned, Johnson is slow to respond. He puts one of his arms around her and says, "Ugh…You're welcome." Martin is trying not to laugh as she says, "Abby let go. He's not used to your hugs yet." "Oh sorry!" Abby says as she lets go. "I'll see you all tomorrow."

They all say their goodbyes, and Martin and Johnson are left standing there.

Johnson is leaning against his car as Martin walks over to him. She stands next to him, and leans against his car. She looks over at him and says, "Thank you." He turns to her and smiles. "I can't believe you bought everyone dinner. That's just crazy."

Johnson puts his arm around her waist and pulls her towards him. "I figured you guys were busy today….and from the looks of everyone's clean plate, hungry too."

Martin laughs. "I ate breakfast at seven o'clock this morning, and only had a snack from the vending machine. I was starting to feel like Gibbs, with a coffee only diet." Johnson laughs and rubs his hand up and down her arm. She stands directly in front of him and says, "Seriously Jeremy. Thank you. A good diner is exactly what we all needed."

They look into each others eyes for a moment before he leans down and presses his lips to hers. Martin snakes her arms around his neck, as Johnson pulls her into him and places his hands on her hips. They pull apart when the need for air is too much. Martin looks around and chuckles. "This probably isn't the best place for this."

"You're right." Johnson says. "What do you have planned for tonight?" Martin shrugs her shoulders. "Part of me was hoping our BOLO would come through tonight. Don't know what I'm going to do now."

"Well" he says stepping closer, "Do you want to come over to my place?" Martin puts her hand on his chest. "Whoa there cowboy. It might be best if we both took cold showers." Johnson looks at her for a moment, and takes a step back. "You're right. I'm sorry." She steps closer to him again and grabs his hand. "No. Don't do that." He looks up at her. "I just want to make sure it's the right time." Johnson looks at her, worried about what she's thinking.

"Sam. It's not going to be like last time. I'm in this for the long run." She gently kisses his lips. Pulling back she says, "So am I. So let's do this right." He smiles and caresses her cheek. "I'll see you soon Sam." He quickly turns and gets in his car.

Watching him leave, she hopes she made the right decision.


	26. Chapter 26

After a somewhat sleepless night, Wednesday comes all too early.

Getting out of her car in the parking garage, she sees DiNozzo walking her way. He smirks. "Have a good night?" "Not quite. Couldn't sleep." He looks over at her and hands her the cup of coffee. She smiles and thanks him.

"Why the rough night? I figured after Johnson's generous dinner, you two would spend the evening together." Martin looks down, but doesn't say anything.

Getting on the elevator, DiNozzo asks, "Everything ok?" She takes a moment and then looks up at him. "I'm just not ready to take it to the next step. What if he leaves again?" He can't help but smile at his partner. Martin runs a hand over her face. "God DiNozzo! Don't laugh at me." The door opens on their floor, and the two step off.

Walking towards his desk, he wonders how much to reveal to her. "You know Martin, if you had seen the way he was looking at you yesterday, you wouldn't have any doubts. It was almost sickening." Martin can't help but smile. "What? Like you and Keates here in the office? I almost lost my breakfast."

He shakes his head and walks to his desk. "Say what you want Martin, but that guy has got it bad. I just hope you can look past your insecurities." Martin stares at him, wondering if he's right. Before she can analyze his comments any further, she hears the ding of the elevator. She looks over to see McGee and Bishop walking towards their desks.

Just after 9:00 AM, Gibbs comes down the stairs from MTAC. "Metro has Sanchez in custody. They're on their way. FBI is closing in on Antonio Raul. Martin you're with me. DiNozzo, once Raul gets here, you take point with McGee. Bishop go see Abby. Make sure we have every piece of information we could possibly need."

At 9:45 AM metro is seen bringing in a non compliant Victor Sanchez. Gibbs follows him, as he is shoved into an interrogation room. Martin quickly follows behind. Stopping at the door, she turns to the officers. "Thanks guys. I'm sure that was fun." They smirk and turn to leave.

Martin walks into the room, and sits next to Gibbs. She can feel Victor Sanchez's eyes on her as she does so. Pulling her seat up, she raises her eyes to his, not willing to be the first to break contact. Gibbs brings Sanchez's attention back to him by slamming pictures on the table. They are from the videos Fornell had provided them with yesterday. "Looks like you've been busy." Sanchez glances at the pictures, but doesn't say anything. "What were you doing at Private Hunter's apartment?" asks Martin.

"Who?" asks Sanchez with a smirk. Gibbs slams a picture of Hunter in uniform on the table. "Recognize him?" Sanchez looks at the picture, without an ounce of emotion displaying on his face. "Or maybe you prefer him like this." says Martin putting down a picture of Hunter in the morgue.

Sanchez leans back in his chair and smirks. "That's unfortunate."

Martin can't stand this guy. She knows she probably shouldn't, but she slams a picture of Alesandra down on the table. "You know what's really unfortunate? The fact that you never got a chance with her." Gibbs looks at her slightly surprised, while Sanchez looks up with fire in his eyes. Sending her the hardest glare she's ever seen, Sanchez says, "You don't know what the hell you're talking about."

It's Martin's turn to smirk. "Oh I'm pretty sure I do. You see…we looked into every member of the Raul family. As it turns out, you two were pretty close until her father moved them away." Still glaring at her, he says, "What's your point?" Martin stands up to walk around the room. "My point, is that it must have pissed you off to see her with some one else. What did you think as you sat there in your car and watched her cozy up to another man?"

Sanchez jumps up from the table, ready to confront Martin. Before he can say anything, Gibbs is on his feet. He sternly says, "Sit down." Sanchez just stands there, and continues to stare down Martin. This time, Gibbs leans forward and demands, "Sit down!" Sanchez sits down, suddenly looking less sure of himself.

'Now we're getting somewhere' thinks Martin. She removes the pictures, and puts them back in the file.

Gibbs looks at Sanchez and says, "So let's try this again. What were you doing outside of his apartment?"

Sanchez looks up and asks, "Would you believe bird watching?" Gibbs stares at him in response. Finally, Gibbs says "Come on Sanchez. We know your connection to the Raul family. We know you were outside of Private Hunter's apartment on more than one occasion. And of course we know that Private Hunter is now dead. What did you do?"

Sanchez looks between the two agents and says, "Maybe I just wanted to see an old friend. I heard she was hanging around D.C. and wanted to see how she was doing." Gibbs looks at him with a 'you've got to be kidding me' look. Martin takes the moment to say, "You know, I'm not so sure I believe that." He looks at her and says "Believe what you want."

Just as she is about to respond, there is a knock at the door. Gibbs looks up annoyed, and Martin stands up. Opening the door, she sees Bishop. "I know I shouldn't interrupt, but we've got something you need to see." Gibbs looks to Martin, who nods and leaves the room.

Entering Abby's lab, Martin says, "What do you got Abbs? We're in the middle of an integration." Abby rushes over to the table with a gun sitting on it.

"So for as cocky and confident as this guy is, he was dumb enough to keep his gun on him. When he was picked up by metro, it was put into evidence. I checked for prints and gun powder residue." As Abby turns back to her computer, Martin impatiently says, "And?"

"And you're going to love me." says Abby. "Finger Prints came back with a match for Victor Sanchez. It's definitely his gun? That's not the best part though. This gun was recently fired. There's residue on the gun, and thanks to Ducky's help, I was able to match it to the residue on Private Hunters wound. Furthermore, the bullet pulled out of Private Hunter's wound looks a lot like the ones from the gun. I ran a ballistics test, and the striations are a match."

"Now if only I could get a piece of Sanchez's clothing, I bet I could find traces of Cocaine on them. What do you want to bet, it would be the same chemicals as Private Hunter had on him?"

Martin can't hide her excitement. "Abby you're a genius. Print it out, and make sure you record everything into evidence." Abby hands her the paperwork, and she heads for the door. On her way out, Martin yells back. "I owe you a caf pow when this is over."

Walking back into interrogation, Martin sees Gibbs and Sanchez staring at each other. 'Well isn't this cozy' she thinks.

As she sits back down next to Gibbs she asks, "Do you own a gun Mr. Sanchez? Maybe one that looks like this?" She places a picture of his gun in front of him.

"Looks familiar. Doesn't everyone carry a gun now days?" She nods her head. "I'll give you that, but this gun is pretty important right now. You see, this gun was recently fired. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" Sanchez doesn't say anything, but both Gibbs and Martin notice he suddenly doesn't look as confident.

Martin continues. "I was just wondering if you knew anything, because you see…There was still some powder residue on the barrel….and it's the funniest thing. That powder is a perfect match for the residue found on Private Hunter."

They all sit in silence for a moment. Sanchez finally speaks up. "I want a lawyer."

Gibbs who had remarkably been quiet for a while, simply says, "That's probably a good idea."

He gets up to leave as Martin grabs the file, and heads for the door.


	27. Chapter 27

An hour after Gibbs and Martin start their interrogation, Antonio Raul is brought in by the FBI. He is left alone in the room, sitting in a chair with his hands in handcuffs.

As he sits there, DiNozzo and McGee watch him through the two way mirror. It's no surprise, to see Antonio Raul sitting calming at the table. After a few minutes, the two partners enter the interrogation room. DiNozzo smiles. "Mr. Raul so nice to see you today." Antonio Raul looks at him, but doesn't respond. Grabbing his attention, McGee asks, "Mr. Raul do you know why you're here today?" Again, the partners are met with silence.

"Well then. Let's have a refresher course. Shall we?" DiNozzo pulls out two pictures of Private Bryan Hunter. "You see, this is what he used to look like." He gives Raul a moment to look at the picture. "And…this is what he looks like now."

McGee pulls out a picture of Antonio Raul and Victor Sanchez sitting in a car outside of Private Hunter's apartment. He places the picture on the table, and then leans back in his seat. The room is silent, as the three men watch each other. Finally, McGee says, "So…This is you a few weeks ago. You're sitting in a car, outside of Private Hunter's apartment. Want to tell me what you were doing there?"

They actually get a response this time. "Sanchez said he had something to take care of. I was just along for the ride."

"You didn't think to ask what you were supposed to be doing while sitting in a car all day?" asks DiNozzo. Raul shrugs. "Sanchez is a friend. You do what you gotta do."

"Does that include helping to take care of a problem?" asks McGee. Raul looks him in the eye and says, "Sometimes."

McGee nods and pulls out a picture of Alesandra. "What about when the problem involves her?" Raul sits back in his chair and doesn't say anything.

"We already know that Alesandra and Victor Sanchez were close in the past. Your uncle moved his family away. All of the sudden, Alesandra is back in the picture with a new man. That couldn't have been easy for Sanchez." Raul looks at DiNozzo and says, "He was dealing with it."

"Is that why he was outside of Private Hunter's apartment?" asks DiNozzo. "How was following an unsuspecting man helping him deal?" Raul shrugs. "We all heal in our own way." DiNozzo sees that talking about Sanchez may not be the right direction for this interrogation. He suddenly switches tactics.

"I'm guessing family is pretty important. You and your father must have been pretty happy to have Alesandra spending time with the family again." Raul looks up, but doesn't say anything. "Must have been pretty hard for your family to accept she was only coming back around, because her boyfriend wanted to meet you."

DiNozzo and McGee both notice the subtle change in Raul's behavior. Now it's McGee's turn to take over. "Why exactly did Private Hunter want to meet you guys? Did it have something to do with the engagement ring we found in his apartment?"

He places the picture of the ring directly in front of Raul. "How did your dad feel about that? Raul smirks and then shakes his head. "He was pleased the idiot had come to ask for his blessing. Figured it was his chance to recruit another member into the family, and get his beloved Alesandra back."

"Hunter was already a private in the Navy though. Did your family really think he would be willing to give all that up?" asks McGee. Raul looks at the two. "It was a chance my father was willing to take."

"And what happened when he wasn't willing?" DiNozzo knowingly interjects. "My father was disappointed. He had no choice though. He denied Hunter his blessing, and told him to leave."

"So you're telling me" DiNozzo starts, "After getting his beloved Alesandra back, he let her pull away from the family again? No fight? No questions asked?"

Raul shrugs and asks, "What else could he do?"

McGee shakes his head. "He's Hector Raul. He could have done a lot."

There is a few minutes of silence as the men sit in the room. "Alright." DiNozzo says breaking the silence. "Right now. We've got you for aiding and abetting. Once you're in prison for 20 years, we're going to go after your father for issuing the hit." They immediately see Raul's eyes darken and posture tense. "Didn't I just tell you my father let him walk away?"

"Yes well…we have no proof of that. He's the man in charge, so the order must have come from him." says DiNozzo.

"You're wrong." Says Raul trying to get his temper in check.

"If we're wrong" says McGee. "Set us straight. Who issued the order Raul?" There is yet again silence in the room, as the two partners can almost see the internal battle raging within Antonio Raul. Finally, Raul mumbles, "Herman Rodriguez."

"Excuse me?" asks DiNozzo.

"Herman Rodriguez" he says louder. "He came to me and Sanchez one night. Said he was tired of seeing my father upset about Alesandra. He should be focusing on his business, instead of some overrated Private. He wanted us to take care of the problem."

"And did you?" DiNozzo interrupts?

"No." Raul shakes his head. "Rodriguez is second in command. He's not our leader, and he's certainly not my father."

"So what happened next?" asks McGee.

"Sanchez agreed. He wanted to get rid of Hunter…more for personal reasons though. I told them to get their heads straight, and I wouldn't mention it to my father. That was the extent to my involvement. What they did afterwards is on them."

After a moment, McGee gets up from the table. "I'm going to check on the BOLO put out on Rodriguez." He leaves DiNozzo in the room to finish up. Once the door is closed, Raul turns his attention back to DiNozzo.

"I will not be labeled as a snitch. You didn't get any of this from me. My only concern is keeping my father out of this."

DiNozzo nods his head. "I never thought I would say this, but I agree. Maybe you should spend a few days in lock up…for appearance sake of course. By the time you get out, we should have Rodriguez in custody." Raul smirks and nods in agreement.

DiNozzo opens the door to the agent who has been standing outside this entire time. "Take him down to lockup. He's not exactly being helpful." As the agent grabs Raul's arm to lead him away, Raul nods to DiNozzo and allows himself to be escorted away. DiNozzo heads back to his desk.

By 2:30 PM, the entire team is back at their desks. The team is gathering as much information as they can on the man and the factory they work out of. Gibbs turns to Bishop, "I need to know everything about that factory. Contact NSA. I want to know every door, every nook and cranny of that place before we go in there." Bishop nods and grabs her phone.

"McGee tell Fornell to get his team ready. We're going in first thing in the morning." McGee speaks to Fornell, who says he and his team will be there soon to walk through scenarios.

Not long after McGee hangs up the phone, Abby comes bouncing off the elevator. Everyone looks up to acknowledge her and give a brief smile. "This is ridiculous" says Abby. Walking over to Martin she asks, "When was the last time you had anything to eat?" Martin looks at her friend and tries to lie. "I ummm….well…" She sees the look Abby is giving her. "We've been busy Abs. Bringing down members of a drug cartel can be difficult."

Abby walks away from her friend and walks to Bishop's desk. "What about you? When was the last time you ate?" Bishop glances between Martin and Abby. Pointing to Martin she asks, "Ummm….What she said?"

"Gibbs! You have to let them eat. It's time for a break." The team looks up to see Abby with her hands on her hips. Their eyes travel between Abby and their boss. After a brief stare down, Gibbs concedes.

"You've got one hour. Make it quick." Some what shocked….although they really shouldn't be at this point….The team grabs their things and heads for the elevator.

At 4:00 PM, the team is back to work. The FBI special task force has arrived, and everyone heads up to a conference room. Martin places a picture of Hector Raul, Herman Rodriguez, and Private Bryan Hunter on a dry erase board. Bishop immediately starts spreading out maps on the table.

"We have maps of both the outside of the warehouse, along with maps that show the structural layout of the inside."

Fornell speaks up, "Start studying. Tomorrow morning we make our move. I want each of you to be able to walk the warehouse blindfolded." The two teams spend time looking over the maps. Gibbs and Fornell take turns explaining the placement of their teams. Move by move, the two men explain exactly where they want their team members placed.

Once that is done, Martin speaks up, "Our mission is to bring in Herman Rodriguez alive. He is the one responsible for giving the order to kill Private Hunter. We also expect Hector Raul to be present. At this time, he is not our target. If he is brought in, that's a bonus for us. However, we do not believe he is responsible for Hunter's death."

Gibbs steps forward again. "If there are any questions, ask them now." Everyone is silent. The mission in clear…bring in Herman Rodriguez. Any other individuals brought in will be interrogated and dealt with later.

"Class dismissed. Report back here at 6:00 AM sharp." says Fornell. The FBI team leaves the conference room, and heads for the elevator. Gibbs' team heads back to their desks.

As the team sits down, Gibbs looks to his team. "Go home." They all look at him a little surprised. "Boss?" asks DiNozzo. "Go home. It's almost 7:00 PM. Get some rest. Tomorrow's a big day."

Without waiting for a response, he turns and leaves the bull pen.

"You heard the man." says DiNozzo. "Let's get out of here." With that, the team members grab their things and head out.


	28. Chapter 28

The next morning, the team assembles in the conference room. Gibbs throws the maps back on the table. "Get your last look."

As the teams are reviewing every detail of the building, they hear someone opening the door to the conference room. They look up, to see Abby, Ducky, and Palmer walking in with several cups of coffee. As the cups of coffee are being passed out, Martin looks at her friend. "Abby. What are you guys doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? We figured you guys could use a little pick me up." Turning to look at the group, she adds. "There's sugar and cream on the table. We didn't know how everyone takes their coffee."

Everyone nods and gives their thanks. Once everyone has finished their coffee, Fornell stands up. "Any questions?" The room is silent. "Alright then. Suit up."

The FBI team uses the conference room to prepare. Each of the five members put on their Kevlar vests, and check their guns and clips.

Meanwhile, Gibbs' team is doing the same thing around their desks.

Martin checks her six clips before loading her guns. She puts her main one in her holster, and her backup on her ankle. As her final step, she puts in her ear piece. Once her partners have all done the same, they meet in the middle of the room. Looking each other over, DiNozzo pulls on Martin's Kevlar vest to make sure it is secure. McGee does the same thing to Bishop. In return, the women check their partners' vests.

Fornell's team heads down the stairs. Seeing they are set, Gibbs says, "Let's go."

At 7:00 AM, three black unmarked SUVs pull up around the corner from the warehouse. The two teams look at each other and nod. Fornell signals for his man to take the roof across the street. He nods, and takes his sniper rifle to set up.

Checking their weapons, the other team members put them back in their holsters and turn on their ear wigs. They slowly make their way towards the warehouse. Fornell and the other three members of his team head for the back of the warehouse. Gibb's team prepares to enter through the front.

Gibbs is standing on one side of the door, while DiNozzo stands on the other. They stand quietly, listening for any noise. After a moment, everyone hears Gibbs over their ear wigs. "The front is clear. On my mark." He pauses a brief moment and says, "We're a go."

Both teams make their way through the dimly lit halls. Hearing voices, they shield themselves behind a wall. They stay in this position, waiting for Fornell to give his signal. After a few short minutes, they hear him. "Ready in back. No sign of Rodriguez." They also hear the sniper on the roof. "All clear outside. He's got to be in the building."

"Alright." says Gibbs. "On three. One. Two. Three." The two teams rush the room yelling "NCIS hands up." "FBI stay where you are." Of course, the men do not listen.

They immediately pull their own weapons and scatter. A few, open fire as soon as their weapons are drawn. Taking cover where they can, both teams return fire. A few of Raul's men fall, while others continue shooting.

A bullet grazes past Martin's head, and she ducks down behind a large machine. Shielding herself, she raises up to return fire. She hit's the man in the shoulder, before she is forced to duck to avoid more gun fire. She sees DiNozzo raise his gun to aim in the direction the gun fire is coming from. He shoots the man in the head, and he drops to the ground. Martin nods at her partner before turning to aim somewhere else.

Martin sees Bishop near by. Running hunched over, she makes her way to her. "You good?" Before answering, Bishop stands to shoot a man in the leg. She drops back down behind the protection of the half wall. Nodding to Martin she says, "Peachy." Before Martin can respond, she hears McGee over her ear wig.

"A few of the men are headed towards a back hallway. That might be where Rodriguez is." After a few more shots, they hear Gibbs. "DiNozzo. Martin With me down the hallway." The three make their way from their positions towards the hallway.

Carefully heading down the hallway, they remain alert. There are two doors…one on each side of the hallway. DiNozzo takes the door on the right, while Martin stands behind him ready to fire. No one is in the room.

Next it's Gibbs turns to take the door on the left. DiNozzo has his six, while Martin guards the hallway. Again, the room is empty.

They continue forward to the door at the end. Listening, they hear voices on the other side of the door. Martin and DiNozzo are placed against the side of the door, while Gibbs takes lead. On his signal, Gibbs tells Martin to open the door. She turns the knob, and quickly pulls her arm back. There are two men in the room. Gibbs shoots one, while DiNozzo takes care of the other.

Edging into the room, they see that there is another door leading somewhere else. Slowly opening the door, they see what appears to be an office. There are two male voices coming from a large closet within the office. Pointing their guns towards the closet, they see Herman Rodriguez step out with a black bag in hand.

He immediately rushes for his gun, which is on the edge of desk. The guard who is with him aims his gun for DiNozzo. Martin takes the shot, and shoots the man in the head. All three agents turn their guns on Rodriguez. The four of them are in a standoff.

"Drop your weapon Rodriguez." says Gibbs. "No." says Rodriguez. "I don't think that's a good idea."

It's DiNozzo's turn to try. "Come on. Let's do this peacefully. You know we're here to take you in. Put down your weapon."

Rodriguez shakes his head. "I don't think I'm going to do that." The three keep their guns trained on him. "You see." says Rodriguez. "I'm not going to prison." He turns his gun, and points it directly at DiNozzo. Before Martin can react, Gibbs shoots Rodriguez in the head. His body drops to the floor, and the standoff is over.

The three walk back into the main section of the warehouse. Several of Raul's men are dead, while others are either injured or being placed in handcuffs.

McGee sees the three walking back towards them, and asks, "Boss?" "Rodriguez is dead." says Gibbs.

Meanwhile, Fornell is on the phone with metro. He requests a few ambulances and police cars to help in taking care of Raul's men. Gibbs pulls out his phone to call Ducky. He tells the ME to bring Palmer to pick up the body of Rodriguez. He then calls Director Vance, and asks that a crime scene unit be sent to help the FBI collect information. The Director agrees.

By the time they arrive, the teams have rounded up all of the surviving men. It is decided, the FBI will interrogate the men, as a way of getting information about the Raul family. Three of the men are taken to the hospital via ambulance. Each of these men are escorted by one of the members of Fornell's team. The rest of the men are taken away for processing.

Ducky and Palmer arrive to see Rodriguez. Palmer seems a little shocked to see everything that is going on. He is used to seeing one body at a time. Ducky shakes his head and looks at the team. "I am glad you are all alright." With that, he follows Gibbs down the hall to the body.

DiNozzo walks over to his partner. "Are you alright?" Martin gives what she hopes is a convincing smile and says "Of course." It's obvious that he doesn't believe her. They wanted Rodriguez alive, so they could give some sense of justice to Private Hunter and Alesandra. Maybe Alesandra will rest easier knowing the man responsible can no longer hurt anyone else.

DiNozzo places a hand on her shoulder, "Thanks for having my six." She smiles a more genuine smile and says "Any time partner."

After another hour at the warehouse, the team heads back to NCIS.

The team is removing their gear, when Abby steps off the elevator. She is relieved to see her team all in one piece. She doesn't know who to hug first, so she starts with Gibbs, and makes her way around the room.

When she finally gets to Martin, she hugs her friend and says, "Your boy called." Martin gives her a surprised look.

Abby explains. "Apparently he couldn't get a hold of you, so he called me."

Martin pulls out her phone to see two missed calls and a text message from him. Opening the text message, she reads 'Why aren't you answering? Is everything ok?' she sighs and runs a hand over her face.

"Don't worry." says Abby. "I explained that you were preparing to pay a visit to the Raul compound. To say the least he was concerned. You should probably call him."

They are interrupted by Gibbs. "Ducky has Rodriguez's body. Abby You'll be getting evidence as it becomes available. We have to share information with the FBI."

Abby starts to pout. Martin smirks. "Share Abby. It will be good for you."

"I don't like to share." She turns and goes back to her lab. Gibbs turns to his team and says, "Write your reports for today and get out of here. We'll finish up tomorrow."

The four agents get to work. They each finish up their reports around the same time. Turning their reports in, they turn off their computers and gather their belongings.

"So" says DiNozzo have any plans for tonight?" He's pretty sure his partner is going to visit lover boy. Martin looks at him. "Probably the same as your plans. Tell Keates I say hello."

She smirks at her partner and turns to say goodnight to the others. "See you guys later. Maybe we all can actually get some rest tonight."

McGee and Bishop say goodnight and head for the elevator.

Gibbs calls to Martin as she turns to leave herself. She turns to look at him. He simply asks, "You good?" She can't help but smile. "Thanks for having my six boss." Gibbs actually smiles in returns and nods.

DiNozzo says, "Night boss." Gibbs nods at his other agent, and the two head for the elevator.

Walking to her car, Martin text Abby. 'We're all headed out. Don't stay too late.' Abby responds quickly. 'I'm just accepting and categorizing evidence tonight. I won't be too long.'

Martin smiles and is about to put her phone away when she receives another text. Looking at her phone, she reads Abby's message. 'Call Johnson! Don't let your fears get in the way.' She doesn't respond, and puts her phone away.

Driving home, she thinks about her day. She had saved DiNozzo's life yet again, by shooting the guard. 'He owes me' she thinks with a laugh. Then she has a sobering thought. 'If Gibbs hadn't of been there today, DiNozzo might not be driving home now. She took the easy shot, killing the body guard. She knows given another split second, she would have shot Herman Rodriguez. It just so happened, Gibbs reacted first.

She shakes her head and turns onto the street where her apartment is located.

Martin gets out of the car and heads up to her apartment. Standing in the kitchen, she looks at the clock. It's 5:00 PM. She fixes a quick meal and downs it rather quickly. This skipping meals is getting old. Glancing at her phone for what seems like the hundredth time, she sighs and goes to her room.

Pulling out a pair of jeans and a blue shirt, she heads for the bathroom. After taking a relatively short shower, she gets dressed and combs out her hair. Not even bothering to put on makeup, she slips on her shoes and heads back to the living room.

Hesitating only for a moment, she grabs a few things and heads out the door.


	29. Chapter 29

**Warning: This chapter is rated M for a reason...**

Twenty-five minutes later, Martin pulls up in front of the apartment building. Getting out of the car, she takes a look around. 'This place is really nice' she thinks. It's not that her apartment is horrible by any means. It's just that this place is definitely nicer.

She walks into the elevator and goes up to the fourth floor. Stopping in front of 426, she takes a deep breath. Knocking, she waits for the door to open.

After a few long excruciating moments, it finally does. The two just stare at each other for a moment. Stepping back to let her in, he says, "Samantha what are you doing here?"

"I…ugh…God this sounded so much better in my head." Jeremy watches her, but doesn't say anything. She gives him an almost helpless look, so he decides to break the tension. "So things went ok today?"

She sighs and says "Yeah. We surprised them by going in bright and early. Hector Raul wasn't there, but I would say it was a success."

He nods, glad things turned out alright. He notices though, Samantha hasn't maintained eye contact since she's been here. "You want to talk about it?"

Suddenly she turns to look at him, and there's the eye contact he's been looking for. "No. Not really."

They stare into each other's eyes, as if trying to see into each other's souls. She sees the moment everything registers in his mind. He snaps out of his haze, and makes it to where she is standing in two long strides.

Before Samantha can say anything, Jeremy's lips are on hers. It doesn't take her long to respond. She puts her arms around his neck and pulls him in closer. Her eagerness urges him on. They continue to cling to each other, allowing their hands to wonder. If possible, each kiss his more heated than the next.

He pushes her up against the wall, and sees that part of her shirt is now hanging down from her left shoulder. He's got one hand on the wall by her head for support. His other hand rests on her hip as he pushes himself against her. Roughly kissing her again, his hand travels to her neck and then up to cup her face. Jeremy's mouth slowly slides down her neck, leaving gentle kisses along the way.

Samantha can't help the moan that escapes her mouth. He kisses the bare skin on her shoulder, before making his way back up. He pulls back to look at her. Their bodies are still touching, but it's enough to make her instantly miss the contact.

She knows what he's doing. He's searching her face for any sign of uncertainty. To ease his mind, Samantha kisses him again. It's not as urgent as before, but it is still filled with passion.

Grabbing his hand, she walks them to his bedroom. He willingly follows.

Stepping directly in front of him, Samantha pulls his shirt over his head. The sight of his broad shoulders and muscled chest turns her on even more. She can feel herself becoming more wet. Jeremy leans down again to reach her lips. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he only stops kissing her long enough to pull it over her head.

While their mouths are busy, she uses her hands to undo his belt. She pulls it off, and throws it to the ground. He doesn't stop her when she places her hand over the button of his pants.

Stopping the kiss only when need for air consumes them. They stare into each others eyes as she undoes the button and zipper on his pants. He steps back long enough to remove his pants.

Looking at her he says, "You are entirely too over dressed." Samantha can't help but laugh. Her laughter turns in to surprise when he grabs the belt loops of her jeans and pulls her towards him. Jeremy undoes the button and zipper at an agonizingly slow pace. She slips off her shoes and shimmies out of her jeans.

Standing there in nothing but his own underwear, he stares at her. She's wearing a black lacey bra and matching panties. He feels himself responding to how amazing she looks. "You are so beautiful." Samantha looks down and slightly blushes. Jeremy is immediately at her side, forcing her to look at him.

"Don't do that. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." He can see that she doesn't quite believe him. 'I'll just have to show her.' he thinks. Pulling back the covers on his bed, he lays Samantha down on her back.

He leans down to kiss her. This time, it's not rushed. He takes his time to put all of his emotions behind it. They lay next to each other on the bed, as they allow their hands to roam and explore.

Samantha rolls so that she is on top of him. She straddles his hips and looks down at him. Her hair falls forward framing her face, and Jeremy can't help but touch her. She leans forward to kiss him.

While kissing, he expertly reaches behind and undoes the clasp of her bra. She sits back up, and slowly removes one strap of the bra at a time. She knows she is torturing him, and smirks. He doesn't miss the smirk, and immediately flips them over, so that she is underneath him. Samantha lets out a surprised shriek before her mouth is covered with his again.

Pulling apart Jeremy says, "Now that wasn't very nice." She looks at him with the most innocent face she can muster. He lets out a small chuckle and leans forward by her ear. In a low voice he says, "I know you better than that."

Something about his response and the warm breath on her ear makes her shiver. He smirks at her reaction, and begins to leave light kisses down her neck. She turns her face to the side, giving him complete access.

Moving down, he drops kisses on her collar bone before moving to her chest. Cupping her left breast with his hand, he takes it into his mouth, sucking and lightly biting. Samantha arches her back and moans. Jeremy moves to the other side, and does the same to her right breast. She responds much the same way as she did before.

Reaching out for him, she runs her fingers through his hair. She can't help but be turned on by this man.

Jeremy continues his exploration of her body. Leaving slow, soft kisses down her flat abs. He stops and looks up at her, when he reaches her panty line.

He again checks to make sure she is comfortable with where this is going. He is incredibly turned on, and this may be her last chance to stop him. She smiles, and he takes that as his sign to continue.

Jeremy pulls her panties down slower than she has ever seen him move before. She is so turned on and wet. Lifting her hips and legs to help him, she thinks 'For crying out loud. Just rip them off already.'

He looks at her, laying their naked in his bed, and wonders how he got so lucky. He feels himself straining against his underwear, trying to get free.

He quickly frees himself, and spreads her legs slightly apart. Reaching up, he finds her center.

He rubs his fingers over her, and she immediately responds. Placing his thumb on her center and rubbing, she starts to come undone. He watches, as she arches her back and moans. He loves the response she gives him.

With his thumb still in place, he sticks a finger inside of her. Pushing it in and out, he can feel how wet she is for him. Placing two fingers inside of her, nearly pushes her over the edge. She begins bucking her hips, trying to create her own friction. As if it were possible, he becomes even more aroused.

Thinking about what it will feel like to be inside of her nearly pushes him over the edge. He has to force himself to think of something else, as she has her first orgasm. Her body clenching around his fingers. Making his way back up to her, he places a tender kiss on her lips. While returning the kiss, she flips their positions.

She looks into his eyes, and starts to slowing trickle kisses down his neck to his chest. Lightly raking her nails down his chest, as she moves lower and lower, she hears him moan her name.

When she gets to his hips, she looks back up, to find him watching her.

Grabbing his cock, she slides her hand up and down. She continues to watch him, as she licks her lips and takes him into her mouth. Immediately, he moans and closes his eyes. Moving her mouth, she takes all of him in.

She lets go, only to change her position to get a better angle. While moving her hand up and down, she licks and kisses every part of him. He can barely take it, and begins bucking his hips, pushing himself further into her mouth. If she doesn't stop soon, this is going to be over before it even starts. He grabs her by the shoulders, and pulls her back up on top of him.

Looking in her eyes he says, "I wasn't going to last much longer." Returning them to their previous position, he lays on top of her and kisses her deeply.

Placing himself in between her legs, he gently pushes inside of her. They both moan at the feeling of being connected. He lays there a moment, giving her time to adjust to his size.

When she's ready, she pushes her hips up, trying to create friction. Taking that as a sign she's comfortable, he begins to thrust into her. Slowly at first, but then he begins to pick up the pace.

The feeling is amazing. They continue to roll around, switching between kissing and heavy breathing. It all becomes too much for her, and she yells his name as she has another orgasm.

He quickly thrusts into her a few more times, before he follows suit. He lays on top of her for a moment, as they both catch their breath. As their breathing returns to normal, he removes himself and lays next to her.

They look at each other and smile. "Wow." says Samantha. Jeremy laughs and says, "That was amazing."

He pulls her closer, and puts his arm around her. To his surprise, she says, "I've been wanting to do that for a long time."

Shocked, he replies, "Says the girl who told me we should both go home and take cold showers."

She playfully smacks his arm. "I was scared alright. So just drop it." Jeremy looks at her for a moment and asks, "You're not scared anymore?"

She smiles at him and says, "No. Not anymore."

"Good." He smiles and kisses her temple. He lays on his back and pulls her forward to place her head on his chest. Her right leg intertwines with his left, as they lay there together taking in everything.

After a while, she stops making circles on his chest and says "I was reminded today how fragile life is. We both have dangerous jobs, and I don't want to be without you any longer than I have to."

His arm tenses around her, as he wonders what that means. "What happened today Sam?"

She doesn't respond right away, and he wants an answer. "Sam?"

She sighs and looks up at him. "There was a lot of death today. All on their side, but my people were in the line of fire the entire time. We had a few close calls."

As he takes that in, he leans down and kisses her head. Already knowing the answer, he asks, "Were you one of those close calls?"

He feels her nod against his chest. "DiNozzo and I both were."

He doesn't know all the details of what went down. He's not going to worry about what might have been tonight. She is here with him, safe and sound.

Jeremy turns her face up to his, and gives her a deep kiss.

Before long, they are using their bodies to connect again.

It's nearly midnight, when exhaustion takes over. He holds her in his arms as he drifts off to sleep.

His last coherent thought is 'I could stay like this forever.' He closes his eyes, and has the best nights sleep he's had in a good while.


	30. Chapter 30

The next morning, they wake up to the sound of Samantha's cell phone alarm. Laying back down in the bed, she rubs her hands over her face. 6:30 AM has come way too soon.

She moves her head to look around the room. Last night, she was a little too busy to check things out. His walls are a light shade of gray. She assumes the rest of the apartment is the same color. He has what looks like a decent size closet on one wall, and a large dresser on the opposite wall. On both sides of the bed, there are nightstands.

Samantha is distracted by his tired grumble. "You're thinking too hard for this time in the morning." She turns her head in his direction, to find him watching her.

She raises an eyebrow at him and says, "This time yesterday I was suiting up to take down one of the world's largest cartel families. Checking out your apartment is a walk in the park." As he pulls her towards him he says, "Yes, but you weren't up all night before." He snuggles into her and kisses her head. "Hmmm." she says as she kisses his lips. "That may be true."

She lays there for a few minutes more, before she starts to pull away. "I really do have to get up. I've got to go home and change clothes. If I have time, I might actually get to eat."

He tries to pull her back, as she sits up with the sheet wrapped around her. Rubbing his face he says, "Don't you have a go back at work?" She looks over her shoulder wondering where this is going. She simply says, "Yes…."

Getting out of bed and putting on some underwear and sweat pants he says, "Then I'm fixing you breakfast. I know you haven't been eating right the past few days."

Before she can ask how he knows that, he is on his way to the kitchen. She sits there a moment before getting up. Sliding her panties on, she grabs the closest item of clothing and puts it on. It just so happens to be the shirt he was wearing yesterday.

Running her fingers through her hair, she walks into his kitchen. He's too busy cooking to notice her at first. Samantha stands there, watching him. The way his muscles tense and relax as he moves around. She can't help the way her body responds to him. Walking towards him, she hugs him from behind. She kisses his shoulder blade as he works.

After he finishes with the scrambled eggs, he turns to face her. It's then that he notices she is wearing his shirt. It's big on her, and hangs off her shoulders, but he's never seen his shirt look so good. He kisses her soundly and says, "Looks better on you." She smiles as he moves away to finish breakfast.

Not long after, they grab their plates and sit down at the table. Sitting across from each other, they each try to steal glances while the other isn't looking.

He wonders if she is ok with what happened last night. He really hopes it wasn't just a stress reliever after a rough day at work. Samantha sees the far away look in his eyes, and gets up from the table. His chair is scooted back just enough from the table that she can squeeze in.

She straddles his legs and kisses him. "Now who's thinking too much?"

He places his hands on her thighs, and kisses her passionately. As she presses herself into him, Jeremy moves his hands under her shirt and up to her hips. They pull apart, needing air. Leaning his head against hers, he asks, "This is a good thing right? You're ok with this?"

She kisses him deeply and then asks, "Do you really need to ask?" Jeremy laughs and says, "I guess not."

Samantha sees the clock on the microwave and sighs. "It's 7:30. I need to get to work and shower before anyone sees me. The last thing we need is DiNozzo seeing me do the walk of shame in the same clothes from yesterday." Jeremy laughs, and removes his hands from her body.

She stands up and heads in the direction of his bedroom. From the kitchen he yells, "Don't ever mention DiNozzo again, when you're walking around half naked." He hears her laugh, and she comes back a few minutes later completely dressed.

Jeremy walks over and puts his arms around her. "Be safe today." "Ha! I'll be at my desk most of the day writing reports. You're the one that needs to be safe today."

He smiles at her. "Are you on call this weekend?" "Nope. It seems taking down half of a cartel will get you some brownie points." Kissing is cheek she asks, "See you later?" He grabs her butt and pulls her closer. "You better believe it."

Samantha laughs as she pulls herself away from Jeremy. Opening the door, she looks back long enough to say "See you soon lover boy." She closes the door and walks away.

She makes it to work at 8:15 AM. Thankfully Gibbs had given them an extra hour this morning. Grabbing her bag, she heads for the women's locker room.

In her rush to get ready, Samantha doesn't see Gibbs walking towards his desk, coffee in hand. He squeezes the bridge of his nose and thinks, 'I don't need to know about that.' He sits down and turns on his computer.

By 9:00 AM, Martin is sitting at her desk ready to start the day. DiNozzo and Bishop walk off the elevator at the same time. Bishop says good morning to Gibbs and Martin, and sits down at her desk.

DiNozzo says good morning and then suspiciously hands Martin her coffee. She raises her eyebrow at her partner and asks, "Everything ok there Tony?" He looks at her for another moment and says, "Something's different." With that he sits down at his desk.

McGee arrives shortly after. He says good morning to everyone, and turns on his computer.

"Alright" says Gibbs. "Let's get to work. I want everyone's account of what happened the past week. Reports and all paperwork are due by the end of the day."

At lunch time, Bishop and Martin head down to Abby's lab. "Hey Abby. Want to take a break and have lunch?" asks Bishop.

Smiling over at the two she says, "Uh yeah. Just one sec." Abby finishes what she is entering into the computer, and turns to the women. "Where are we going?"

"We don't care." says Martin. "Gibbs has us doing paperwork all day. We just wanted to get out for a while."

Printing out the results of what she's been working on, Abby says, "Lead the way. I just need to put this on Tony's desk first." The women get on the elevator to head out. Bishop and Martin wait by the elevator while Abby delivers her paperwork. Walking back, Abby says, "Shall we ladies."

The three women grab lunch at a near by deli. As they are preparing to eat, Abby continues to smile at Martin. "Got something to say Abs?"

Bishop looks between the two women, but doesn't say anything. She is taken by surprise, when Abby happily says, "You got laid."

Bishop nearly spits out the drink she was taking, while Martin does her best to give Abby a look of indifference. "I don't know what you're talking about." The two women have a stare down, before Martin looks down at her food.

"I knew it!" yells Abby. A few other customers look over at the women. "Shhhh!" hisses Martin.

The three women eat in silence for a moment, before Abby has to ask. "Was it as good as you remembered?" Martin's cheeks turn slightly pink as she stares at her food. "Better." she finally says. Abby and Bishop laugh as Martin gives a small chuckle.

"How did you find out anyway?" Abby smiles. "Your friends care about you. When Tony called asking for information he said something was different about you. Asked if I knew anything. I remembered telling you about Johnson yesterday. I put it all together."

Martin rolls her eyes. "More like I've got nosey friends."

"Plus Bishop informed me your go bag was missing." Abby quickly adds. Bishop looks up with huge eyes and Martin whips her head towards her. "Oh not you too Bishop. You've converted to the dark side."

The women can't help but laugh as Martin shakes her head. "Yes, well. Let's not forget to ask Tony about Keates. Nothing like a good shoot out to get the adrenaline pumping." Turning to Bishop she asks, "And what about you? Was Jake in town last night?"

Her partner takes a bite of her food, so she doesn't have to answer. The pink tint to her cheeks give her away though. Martin smiles and says, "I rest my case."

The women continue to their easy banter until it's time to head back to NCIS.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: This will be the final chapter of The Lost Chance. I've thought long and hard about continuing with another case, or sending Johnson into a situation with the CIA. I didn't want to make the story too cheesy, or unbearable to read, just for the sake of making it longer. I've even given thought to a sequel, but also like the idea of an open ending. Leaving it up to the reader to decide where the team and couple goes next. Let me know what you think. Also, a big thank you to all those that have read the story all the way through/taken the time to review/added it as a favorite/and followed my first story. Hope you've enjoyed it.**

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When the women return to work, they see that the three men are sitting at their desks. DiNozzo as always, has to make a comment. "It's about time you got back. Some of us actually have to work."

Martin pulls out her handcuffs while he is talking. Walking over to his desk, she announces loudly. "Keates wanted me to give these back to you. Apparently you left them at her place last night." DiNozzo's eyes get big as he reaches to his back pocket. Feeling his handcuffs there, he relaxes.

Gibbs smirks, as her other two partners and Abby laugh. "So she brings out your kinky side huh? Might be more than we need to know." She walks to her desk before her partner can respond. Abby says, "I just love my family." and heads back down to her lab.

The four agents get back to work on their reports. A few hours later, McGee is the first to finish his paperwork. "Hey buddy." says DiNozzo. "No." Responds McGee.

"Oh come on. We're partners." Coming around the corner, Gibbs smacks the back of his head, and says, "Do your own work."

Martin smirks. "Have some where to be DiNozzo?" He narrows his eyes at his partner and says, "Maybe…." "Bet you do." she says with a smile. She turns back to her computer. She wants to get out of here quickly too. She's only a few reports away from seeing Johnson again.

Not long after McGee leaves, Bishop completes her reports. She hands them to Gibbs and says good bye to her partners.

Gibbs heads down to see Abby, to make sure all of the evidence has been accounted for. Martin looks at the clock on her computer. It's 4:00 PM, and she has one more report to go.

"Looks like it's just you and me partner." Martin looks up at DiNozzo. With a smirk she says, "If I had remembered saving your life would leave me with more paperwork….." "Ouch." says DiNozzo, with mock hurt. "The love radiating off of you is just amazing." Martin chuckles.

They type in silence for a while, before Martin speaks again. "Seriously Tony. Are you good?"

DiNozzo looks at her and smiles. "I am. Are you good after yesterday?" She gives him a half smile and says, "I should have been the one to shoot Rodriguez. Sorry I let you down partner."

DiNozzo gets up and walks to her desk. She is still in her chair, and he sits on her desk next to her.

"You did everything you were supposed to. Gibbs saw his finger graze the trigger first, that's all." Martin looks at him. "I know that….and who better to have your back than Gibbs. I just…I was just thinking about what would have happened if he hadn't of been there." "Don't think about that. Everyone is here and fine. We did a good job. Let's just leave it at that." He pats her shoulder and heads back to his desk.

"Besides. Gibbs is scary good like that. I aspire to be like him one day." Martin laughs. "And if I breathe a word to anyone, you'll have me killed."

DiNozzo laughs too. "I'm so glad we understand each other."

Unbeknownst to the partners, Gibbs has walked around the corner in time to hear most of the conversation. He smiles at the two He is both amazed and proud to see how his team as come together over the years. He leaves the room again, giving them time to finish their reports.

At 5:00 PM, both Martin and DiNozzo hand in their reports to Gibbs. She texts Johnson as she's leaving. 'Leaving NCIS now. Let me know if you're free.'

Stepping on the elevator, DiNozzo starts to laugh. Martin narrows her eyes. "Don't even. Let me see your phone." He looks at her surprised. "What? No."

Martin holds her hand out. Knowing he's been caught, he sighs and hands his phone over. Martin pulls up his texts. Of course there's one to Keates. 'Leaving soon. I'll see you at 6:30.' Holding his phone up in front of his face, Martin says, "Really?"

He quickly grabs his phone and stuffs it back in his pocket. After a moment DiNozzo says, "Looks like we're both going to have a good weekend." Martin faces forward and smiles. The elevator doors open, and the two walk to their cars. "See you Monday DiNozzo." He nods and says "Monday."

As Martin starts her car, she receives a text from Johnson. 'Finishing up here. I'll come by your place as soon as I can.' She smiles and puts her phone down in the passenger seat.

Driving home, she thinks about the past few months. It's unbelievable how so much has changed. She feels fortunate to have both her loving family back home, and her amazing family of friends and co-workers. She can now add a blossoming relationship to the list. For once, she's not worried about what's to come. For now, she's happy to take it one day at a time.

She'll start with this weekend, and see where life leads her.


End file.
